Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates warned that artificial intelligence is a powerful enough tool to kill a significant portion of humanity, joining a growing group of tech leaders and employees urging attention to the existential risks of AI, according to Bloomberg.
“AI is certainly powerful enough to trigger events that cause the deaths of billions,” Gates said in an excerpt from an NBC interview airing this weekend. “There’s never been such a powerful weapon as the combination of people with bad intent using the latest AI tools,” he added.
Silicon Valley’s Growing Alarm
Silicon Valley has intensified warnings about AI’s potential catastrophic harms as the technology rapidly advances. Jacob Coxon, an Anthropic employee, resigned earlier this month, accusing his former employers Anthropic and OpenAI of “risking our lives” by “racing to build superintelligent AI.”
Another Anthropic employee stated they believe there’s over a 10% chance AI could eliminate all humans in the next decade. Dario Amodei, Anthropic’s CEO, then called for a development slowdown, quickly backed by peers like OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Elon Musk.
Regulation and Global Concerns
In his interview, Gates argued self-regulation isn’t enough. “We need enforcement and policymakers involved in discussing what safeguards and monitoring look like. And this needs to be required,” he commented.
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In an August essay, Gates warned bad actors could use increasingly powerful AI tools for cyberattacks, deception, disinformation, and other large-scale harms against hospitals, financial institutions, power grids, and government systems.
French President Emmanuel Macron advocated for an international organization to prevent AI concentration in few hands. “AI must serve us, not command us. The digital revolution should propel us forward, not hold us back,” Macron said at the Elysée Palace.
“It’s our responsibility to prevent the most successful AI models from concentrating in the hands of a few who would decide for all humanity, or allow these advancements to lead to control loss,” he added. This proposal received support from the “France Unbowed” party.
Pope’s Remarks on AI and Humanity’s Future
Pope Francis stated that AI and other technologies should remain in service to humanity, not become tools for domination and injustice. He warned that while AI systems have adopted the term “intelligence,” human ideas and relationships risk dehumanization. The Pope called for international focus on protecting children and youth, stating, “In the digital age, their vulnerability should never become an opportunity for exploitation.”
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