Bill Gates has warned that artificial intelligence is powerful enough to drive catastrophic events that could cause a billion deaths, and called for legislation to establish safeguards around the technology.
Speaking to NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” the Microsoft co-founder said the combination of capable AI tools and people with malicious intent creates a threat unlike anything previously seen. Kanyi Daily reports that Gates did not claim AI would necessarily cause human extinction, but emphasized the technology could enable consequences of that scale.
“AI is certainly powerful enough to drive events that cause a billion deaths,” Gates said. He added: “There’s never been a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with ill intent using the latest AI tools.”
Gates rejected the notion that self-regulation by AI companies would suffice. Law enforcement and policymakers must be involved in determining what safeguards and monitoring mechanisms are put in place, he argued.
“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,” Gates said. He noted that regulation would impose some overhead for the industry but would not significantly slow development.
Gates’ comments align with a broader push for stronger AI oversight. Earlier this month, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called on AI companies to slow the development of increasingly capable models, citing risks of misuse. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and xAI founder Elon Musk expressed agreement with his concerns.
The regulatory debate has moved beyond voluntary measures. In July, US lawmakers proposed an AI “kill switch” bill that would give authorities power to intervene when AI systems pose significant risks, including through full shutdown in severe cases.
International institutions have also weighed in. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned in July about the risks posed by rapidly advancing AI and called for international cooperation to ensure the technology is developed and used safely.
