Bill Gates, alarmed by AI, has policy ideas he wants to discuss with China’s President

Bill Gates aims to discuss global AI policy with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year. The Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist believes China may agree to restrict dangerous AI model releases if the U.S. leads the way. Gates has previously met with Xi, hosting him three years ago as the first foreign entrepreneur after the pandemic.

Gates' team is working to finalize a meeting with Xi for his upcoming China trip, tentatively scheduled for November. He is concerned about AI's potential for attacks, job displacement, and psychological manipulation, drawing parallels to evolutionary milestones that require comprehensive policy management. Gates proposes a new international organization to manage AI, modeled after nuclear inspections, aviation regulations, and ozone layer protection agreements.

He advocates for the U.S. to take the lead but stresses the need to define action criteria. Gates highlights AI's potential to widen inequality and harm the vulnerable, emphasizing its priority ahead of climate change and health crises. His foundation plans to invest $200 billion by 2045, focusing on AI-powered health checks, healthcare in Rwanda, and impactful giving, including discussions with Anthropic and OpenAI about their upcoming IPOs.

Gates also stresses the importance of reserving up to 40% of current jobs for humans, particularly in caring professions, to mitigate the impact of automation.