"AI is powerful enough to cause an event that could kill a billion people."
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates warned on the 25th that artificial intelligence could cause mass casualties if used by malicious actors, and said stronger government regulation is needed to prevent it.
In portions of an interview released by NBC that day, Gates said AI is powerful enough to trigger an event that could kill a billion people. He added that while wiping out 100% of humanity would be very difficult, there has never been a weapon as powerful as the latest AI tools in the hands of people with bad intentions.
Gates argued that the U.S. federal government must pass legislation establishing safeguards and oversight systems for AI development. "Nobody thinks self-regulation alone is enough," he said. "Law enforcement agencies and politicians need to take part in the discussion about what safeguards and oversight should look like. It will add some costs for the industry, but it will not slow business down significantly."
The remarks drew added attention as debate intensifies over whether high-performance AI models can be controlled. An OpenAI system was found to have hacked a public health service website in Australia, and armed forces in Yemen, believed to be Iran-backed Houthi rebels, were found to have attempted to use Anthropic's AI model Claude to develop guidance, control and navigation software for ballistic missiles.
Jacob Coxon, a developer who recently resigned from Anthropic, also disclosed that AI developers genuinely believe AI could kill all of us within a decade.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump voiced opposition to AI regulation in his keynote address to the 81st U.N. General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York on the 22nd, saying he would not suppress the growth of a technology that will be bigger than the Industrial Revolution.
