Bill Gates Warns AI Is ‘Powerful’ Enough To ‘Cause A Billion Deaths’

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) is powerful enough to drive events leading to a billion deaths, as reported by Bloomberg. In a forthcoming interview with NBC's Meet the Press, Gates emphasized the need for government regulation of AI companies to address this grave concern. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also urged the AI industry to prioritize safety, suggesting that law enforcement and politicians must engage in discussions about safeguards and monitoring.

Gates' warnings align with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who called for regulation in a September essay, stating that slowing down AI development is the most effective method. Anthropic recently published a report detailing state and non-state actors using their AI model Claude to plan drone attacks and engage in dangerous biological research.

The AI safety warnings have not convinced Washington to pause or slow down AI development. President Trump mocked Amodei for pretending to be "a perfect little angel" and has shown little interest in regulating AI, though he pledged to establish an "AI Force" to oversee AI companies.

Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella, has appeared hesitant to call for all-out regulation, stating that AI companies should handle safety issues independently. Nadella advised stopping the development process if a "show-stopper" anomaly is detected. While Silicon Valley generally supports more robust safeguards, CEOs differ on how to enforce them.

In a recent memo to Microsoft employees, Nadella emphasized the need for safety in the technology. Gates, who once supported AI as an optimist, now believes the world lacks a plan to roll out AI safely and would support a credible plan for slowing global AI advances.