Bill Gates says to prepare for 20 years of ‘tumultuous’ AI disruption

Bill Gates, co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft, has recently made headlines with his concern over the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and the potential disruptions it may bring. In a recent interview, Gates expressed that he believes AI to be "the most dangerous thing that humans have ever gone near" and that a turbulent period of at least 20 years lies ahead.

He warned that this era of AI disruption could be so painful that it could split society into two groups - those who embrace the technological frontier and those who reject it.

Gates has been vocal about his worries regarding AI safety and the need for better policy responses from both the White House and the AI industry. He has called for a more coordinated effort to address the challenges posed by AI, stating that the current response is insufficient to combat the threat. In his opinion, a lack of adequate control measures could lead to a situation where the benefits of AI are slow to materialize, while the potential for harm grows.

One of the key challenges Gates sees in controlling AI is the difficulty in agreeing on what AI is and whether it is conscious. He further questioned how to technically construct a solution for alignment that would be enforceable not only for closed-source models but also for open-source ones. Gates emphasized the importance of building robust technical solutions to ensure AI remains aligned with human values, particularly in light of the diverse relationships individuals have with AI, ranging from proprietary and open-source models to those led by different company leaders.