LONDON, Sept 15 — No government in the world is ready for the changes artificial intelligence (AI) will bring to society, Bill Gates said in an interview with Reuters, warning of the risks ahead.
The Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist had until recently been optimistic about AI but has changed his position, warning of threats to jobs, concerns about attacks and the dangers of addiction to AI companions.
“I don’t think any government is nearly as deep on this as they have to be,” he said.
However, Gates added that the technology had great potential to help the world’s poorest if managed properly and accessed equally, while his namesake foundation said today it planned to spend at least US$1 billion (around RM4 billion) over the next two years to expand access to AI.
Gates said he had been speaking to world leaders about his concerns, including US President Donald Trump and his team, and planned to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year.
“Governments are way behind on this one,” he added.
Health potential
Despite his concerns, Gates and his foundation hope AI can help narrow the gap between the world’s richest and poorest rather than widen it.
The foundation’s US$1 billion spending plan, part of its previously announced commitment to spend US$9 billion annually, will go to partners working in education, healthcare and agriculture, the foundation said.
It also aims to help build the data foundations on which AI relies, including ensuring that large language models work in every language people speak.
“For health, it’s hard to overstate what the potential is,” Gates said, citing applications ranging from supporting frontline healthcare workers to discovering new drugs and vaccines.
However, he said governments must work together to avoid problems, likening the arrival of AI to a disaster movie.
“There’s all sorts of movies where some aliens are coming, and magically the US and China and everybody comes together to solve the problem,” he said.
“AI is kind of like this alien intelligence. It’s here, and we better do like it shows in those movies.”
Reputational hit?
In June, Gates appeared before Congress to testify about his relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Gates, who is not accused of any crimes, has repeatedly said he regrets his association with Epstein, whom he had hoped would donate to global health causes. Instead, the financier attempted to blackmail Gates over his extramarital affairs.
However, despite prompting an external review at his foundation, which found no payments to Epstein or participation in criminal activities, Gates said the links had not caused him or the foundation significant reputational damage.
“In terms of having access to government leaders, or, you know, journalists being willing to interview me, I don’t see any diminishment,” he said.
He added that the desire to draw on the foundation’s expertise to reduce child deaths and eradicate malaria had also not diminished “even one iota”.
