Bill Gates warns of AI’s impact, urges the US and China to cooperate

Bill Gates, in a recent essay, has warned about the societal impacts of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence (AI) technology and urged the United States and China to cooperate in managing these impacts. Gates, a prominent tech philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft, argues that AI is ushering in "one of the most turbulent times in human history," which could either become "the greatest equaliser ever invented, or the worst source of injustice."

He emphasizes that countries hosting leading AI developers and controlling critical parts of the supply chain should begin setting up shared norms and cooperation before competitive pressures hinder their collaboration. Gates notes that the transition to the AI era differs from past technological transitions due to the pace of progress and the scale of potential impacts.

He identifies three key areas where AI risks are most urgent: labour displacement, AI-enabled crimes and surveillance, and impacts on children and human relationships. While Gates supports a global slowdown in AI development, he believes this is unlikely due to geopolitical and economic incentives. Instead, he suggests convening experts to identify gaps in institutional preparedness.

Brief written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.