Bill Gates joins calls for AI safeguards

Bill Gates advocates for AI regulation, arguing that safeguards beyond self-regulation are necessary. In an NBC interview, the Microsoft co-founder called for legislation in Congress to address the need for law enforcement and political involvement in setting safeguards and monitoring measures. Gates emphasized that self-regulation is insufficient, stating, "No one thinks self-regulation is enough."

The CEO of rival companies Anthropic, OpenAI, Google's DeepMind, Microsoft, and xAI have all called for slowing AI development. However, US President Donald Trump and others oppose additional AI regulation, claiming it would benefit China. Gates urged that safeguards would not hinder the industry and expressed a willingness to meet with Trump to discuss AI.

Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei, is also rumored to have dinner with Trump. President Trump has vowed to lead the world in super intelligence while protecting American consumers. Warnings about AI risks intensified after researchers attached timelines and probabilities to these concerns in leading AI labs. Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon warned that AI could potentially kill all of humanity within a decade, prompting calls for new rules from US lawmakers.

Evan Hubinger, Anthropic's alignment science lead, echoed Coxon's warning, stating there is a more than 10% chance of such an event within the next decade. Some policymakers propose mandating a "kill switch" for federal authorities to halt AI models. Gates acknowledged the potential benefits of a kill switch but emphasized the importance of implementing other safeguards as well.

The US and China recently agreed to launch a dialogue on AI following President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington.