Bill Gates Says Silence on AI Drove Him to Raise Alarm

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates notes the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence-and what he sees as a lack of meaningful safeguards-has pushed him to publicly raise the alarm over the technology.

Key points

• His comments to Cooper come after Gates published a almost 6, 000-word essay warning that the world is entering a "turbulent" period of AI.
• I introduced the first and only bill in Congress to do it. What Gates Suggests Doing Regarding AI.
• Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Wednesday night for comment regarding Gates' worries on AI.
• "I still think it's within our grasp to shape this in a net positive way, " Gates informed Cooper Wednesday night.
• We have to take the AI matter, and it's the bads versus the goods on in a highly explicit way, Gates additionally informed Cooper.

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He pointed to risks including cyberattacks, bioterrorism and broader psychological and social consequences, saying he was "shocked" that stronger safeguards are not already in place. Gates additionally argued that simply restricting data centers would not meaningfully slow AI's development as firms could build them elsewhere.

". We have to obtain everybody's voice in this. You know, these are a set of Democratic tradeoffs that have to be created, and you know residents think that 'OK, I'll block a data center, ' that really isn't going to slow things down. Those data centers will show up somewhere. We have to take the AI matter, and it's the bads versus the goods on in a highly explicit way, " Gates additionally informed Cooper.

His comments to Cooper come after Gates published a almost 6, 000-word essay warning that the world is entering a "turbulent" period of AI. He argued that leaders have not adequately prepared for the disruption ahead, particularly as AI begins to take on work in fields including law, customer service, medicine, software and manufacturing.

Gates has halted short of calling for an outright halt to AI development, but he stated he would backing a credible global agreement to slow its advancement if one were feasible. He acknowledged in his essay, nevertheless, that economic and geopolitical competition between countries and technology businesses makes such an agreement unlikely. He has additionally proposed measures including taxing AI or robots in a way similar to payroll taxes and reserving certain types of work for humans.

Notably, the remarks mark a notable shift in emphasis for Gates. This person has additionally highlighted AI's potential to improve healthcare, scientific research and productivity. But as the technology develops, Gates is increasingly warning that its benefits will come with serious costs if governments fail to establish guardrails. "My message to leaders, " Gates wrote, is that they have an opportunity to act before rising unemployment, social disruption and declining public trust create the consequences harder to address. Gates Outlines Three Risks of AI.

Gates outlined three major risks from AI, beginning with job displacement. He cautioned that AI could eliminate jobs throughout both white- and blue-collar industries, particularly affecting entry- and mid-level workers and young individuals entering the workforce. As AI and robotics become more capable, he remarked fewer good jobs could be available.

"I'm staking my reputation completely on the fact that in terms of the impact on the job market, this is very different than any technology that I've been involved in or that has come across in human history, " Gates remarked to Cooper Wednesday night.

Gates additionally cautioned that AI could empower individuals to cause greater harm, making cyberattacks, fraud, disinformation, deepfakes and bioterrorism easier to carry out. Finally, he triggered concern that AI could stunt children's development and replace human relationships, particularly through AI companions, in his essay and to Cooper.

Congressman Greg Casar of Texas, a Democrat, reacted to Gates' remarks saying on X on Wednesday, "Even tech billionaires like Bill Gates are saying we need an AI token tax to prevent mass unemployment. I introduced the first and only bill in Congress to do it." What Gates Suggests Doing Regarding AI.

Gates argues that governments need to act now to manage AI's rapid development, including creating new institutions to oversee its risks. He has additionally called on greater scrutiny of powerful AI systems, particularly when they could pose risks to national security, cybersecurity or public safety.

To address AI-driven job losses, Gates has proposed taxing AI tokens and robots, with the revenue potentially supporting worker retraining and "a stronger safety net." He has additionally suggested designating certain roles as reserved for human workers, particularly jobs where human judgment, care or interaction remains especially notable.

Oren Etzioni, a computer science professor at the University of Washington and founding CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, remarked he agrees with much of Gates' assessment of AI's risks but disagrees with some of his proposed solutions. "I think he has the diagnosis right, but the prescription wrong, at least in some places, " Etzioni informed ABC News.

Etzioni backed taxing robots that replace workers but questioned Gates' proposal to tax AI tokens, arguing it measures usage rather than job displacement. He additionally cautioned that slowing U.S. AI development through taxes could put the country at a disadvantage to competitors. Rather than creating new administration agencies, Etzioni stated existing agencies should establish appropriate policies, adding that it is "not too late" to address AI's risks if policymakers act with urgency. Gates Calls AI 'a Thousand Times Bigger' Than Nuclear.

"I still think it's within our grasp to shape this in a net positive way, " Gates informed Cooper Wednesday night. "It's like when nuclear came along, is it nuclear weapons or is it nuclear energy, this is a thousand times bigger and has both the negative aspect and the positive coexisting in the same technology." Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Edward T. Cummins. View Editorial & AI Guidelines.

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