The founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, issued new and unprecedented warnings about the danger of artificial intelligence technologies, stressing that they have reached advanced levels of power that may be exploited in catastrophic events that result in the death of a billion people, leading to scenarios that threaten the survival of all humanity.
These statements came, according to a report prepared by journalist Herb Scribner on the Axios website, as part of excerpts published by NBC from an interview conducted with Gates by journalist Kristen Welker, and which is scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday on the “Meet the Press” program, coinciding with heated discussions being undertaken by technology sector leaders and governments to deal with the increasing risks of this technology.
Gates explained during the interview that “artificial intelligence is certainly powerful enough to drive events that cause the death of a billion people,” noting that although it is difficult to measure the risk of the complete annihilation of humanity, human history “has never witnessed a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with bad intentions and the latest artificial intelligence tools.”
Gates has historically been known for his extreme optimism regarding technology, but he had previously issued a memorandum last August in which he warned that artificial intelligence’s potential effects outweigh most modern technologies, pointing out that it “is either the greatest tool for achieving equality ever, or the worst source of injustice.” He emphasized at the time that the current path and pace of development of this technology carries a very high possibility of final negative results.
At the conclusion of his positions, Gates stressed the need for governments and political parties to move jointly and immediately to establish mechanisms and controls that prevent artificial intelligence technologies from getting out of control.
