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Billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned that artificial intelligence is powerful enough to drive events that could cause a billion deaths.

He made the comments in an interview with NBC News’“Meet the Press” on Friday while discussing concerns over the potential risks of rapidly advancing AI and calls for stronger safeguards around the technology.

Gates said the combination of increasingly capable AI tools and people with malicious intent could create a threat unlike anything previously seen.

Gates warns of AI’s potential as a weapon

Gates was asked whether he believed AI was powerful enough to end all of humanity.

The billionaire did not say AI would necessarily cause human extinction, but warned that the technology could enable catastrophic consequences.

• “AI is certainly powerful enough to drive events that cause a billion deaths,” Gates said.
• He added that“there’s never been a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with ill intent using the latest AI tools.”

Gates calls for AI legislation

Gates said self-regulation by AI companies would not be enough and backed legislation to establish safeguards around the technology.

• “No one thinks self-regulation is enough,” he said when asked whether self-regulation would be sufficient.

Gates said law enforcement agencies and politicians should be involved in determining what safeguards and monitoring mechanisms should be put in place for AI.

• “You need law enforcement and the politicians to get into the discussion about what safeguards and monitoring look like, and that has to be a required thing,” he said.

He acknowledged that regulation would add some requirements for AI companies but said it would not significantly slow the industry’s development.

• “It will be a little bit of overhead for the industry, but not a dramatic slowing of what they’re doing,” Gates said.

AI regulation debate intensifies

Gates’ comments come amid growing warnings from technology executives and policymakers about the risks associated with the rapid development of artificial intelligence.

• Earlier this month, Nairametrics reported that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called on AI companies to slow the development of increasingly capable models, citing concerns over their potential misuse. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and xAI founder Elon Musk also expressed agreement with his concerns.
• The debate has also moved beyond voluntary safeguards.
• In July, Nairametrics reported that US lawmakers had proposed an AI “kill switch” bill that would give authorities powers to intervene when AI systems pose significant risks, including through a full shutdown in severe cases.

The push for stronger oversight has also extended to global institutions.

In July, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned about the risks posed by rapidly advancing AI and called for international cooperation to ensure the technology is developed and used safely.