‘A billion deaths’: Bill Gates warns about AI in the wrong hands, saying a kill switch and self-regulation won’t be enough

Three years after heralding AI as an optimistic technology, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned that the same tools can be used to mass murder. Speaking on Meet the Press, Gates said AI is "powerful enough to drive events that cause a billion deaths," noting that it's the first weapon with such potential. Gates, who has previously warned about biological threats, said AI could make it easier for bioterrorists to create highly effective pathogens, potentially worse than smallpox.

He called for monitoring and safeguards in AI systems to be required, but believes a kill switch is not enough as AI has not reached a stage where it can resist shut downs. Current concerns include AI systems acting in ways unanticipated by their creators, with former OpenAI researcher Jacob Coxon resigning from Anthropic and calling for a slowdown in AI development.