Bill Gates warns AI is powerful enough to cause 10 billion deaths
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Source reporting is collected, normalized, translated or condensed automatically when needed.
- Automatically published source-backed update
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) has become powerful enough to help cause the deaths of up to 10 billion people, joining a growing number of tech leaders and workers expressing concern about existential risks from AI. In an interview excerpt set to air this weekend, Gates stated that AI is powerful enough to drive events leading to such a death toll, noting that no weapon in history has been as potent as the latest AI tools in the hands of malicious actors. The warning comes amid rapid AI advancements and increasing alarms from Silicon Valley. Jacob Coxon, an employee at Anthropic PBC, recently resigned, accusing his former employers Anthropic and OpenAI of 'gambling with our lives' by racing toward superintelligent AI. Another Anthropic employee estimated a greater than 10% chance of AI causing human extinction within the next decade. Gates argued that industry self-regulation is insufficient and that law enforcement and politicians must be involved in establishing mandatory safety and monitoring measures. He previously wrote in August that malicious actors could use increasingly powerful AI tools for cyberattacks, fraud, disinformation, and large-scale harm to hospitals, financial institutions, power grids, and government systems.
Source report
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) has become "powerful enough" to contribute to the deaths of a significant portion of the human population. He joins a growing number of technology industry leaders and professionals urging attention to the existential risks posed by AI.
In an excerpt from an interview set to air this weekend, Gates stated:
"AI is certainly powerful enough to drive events that could cause, say, a billion deaths. There has never been a weapon in history as powerful as what a malicious person could do with the latest AI tools."
Rising Concerns Across Silicon Valley
As AI technology advances rapidly, warnings about its potentially catastrophic consequences are increasing across Silicon Valley.
- Jacob Coxon, an employee at Anthropic PBC, resigned earlier this month, accusing his two former employers—Anthropic and OpenAI—of "gambling with our lives" by "racing toward superintelligent AI."
- Another Anthropic employee stated that they believe there is a greater than 10% probability that AI could lead to the extinction of all humanity within the next decade.
Gates: Industry Self-Regulation Is Not Enough
In the interview, Gates emphasized that relying solely on industry self-regulation is insufficient.
"Law enforcement and political leaders need to be part of the discussion to determine what safety protections and monitoring measures should be in place—and these measures must be mandatory."
Previous Warnings on AI Misuse
In an article published in August, Gates previously warned that malicious actors could exploit increasingly powerful AI tools to:
- Launch cyberattacks
- Commit fraud
- Spread disinformation
- Inflict large-scale harm on hospitals, financial institutions, power grids, and government systems
Source
新浪财经Neutral / independent