“AI is already powerful enough to help trigger events capable of causing a billion deaths.” This is Bill Gates’ warning in a preview of the interview on the “Meet the Press” program NBCwhich will air in its entirety on Sunday. The Microsoft co-founder speaks of a possible scenario, not a prediction. And the danger it indicates is not so much a “loss of control” of AI, but the use of the most advanced tools by people intent on doing harm.
The dangers and the need for regulation
“There has never been a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with bad intentions and the latest AI tools,” Gates says in the interview. For this reason, he argues, the risks cannot be left to the sole management of the companies that develop the technology. When asked whether a law is needed in the United States, the founder of Microsoft has no doubts. According to Gates, politicians and law enforcement must help establish mandatory controls and security measures, even if they will entail some additional costs for the industry. “No one believes that self-regulation is enough,” Gates said.
His words come as debate intensifies in the United States over the speed with which the most powerful AI systems are being developed. Gates also invites us to consider the immediate dangers: even before the extreme hypothesis of a loss of control over artificial intelligence, he fears that someone could use the capabilities already available to cause damage on a large scale.