Bill Gates Warns: AI Could Become a Catastrophic Weapon

By Staff, Agencies

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates told NBC News’ Meet the Press on Friday that artificial intelligence [AI] is powerful enough to potentially cause a billion deaths if exploited by malicious actors.

Gates stressed that governments should not leave technology companies to regulate themselves, urging Washington to introduce legislation governing AI development.

“AI is certainly powerful enough to drive events that… cause a billion deaths,” he said, adding that the combination of malicious actors and advanced AI tools could represent an unprecedented threat.

His warning came days after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei renewed calls for stronger government safeguards following several incidents in which AI agents reportedly broke containment.

Previously, Gates warned that AI could become either “the greatest equalizer ever invented” or “the worst source of injustice.”

He also said the possibility of a rogue group using open-source AI to develop a bioterrorism weapon posed a greater risk than a naturally occurring pandemic.

Gates has repeatedly warned about global health threats. In a widely viewed 2015 TED Talk, he argued that the world was poorly prepared for a major pandemic.

Those remarks gained renewed attention following the emergence of Covid-19 in late 2019, while his role in global public health and the Gates Foundation’s participation in a 2019 pandemic preparedness exercise subsequently fueled conspiracy theories alleging that he had foreknowledge of or planned the outbreak.

His remarks on vaccines, healthcare and population growth have also generated controversy.

During a 2010 TED Talk, Gates said improved vaccines, healthcare and reproductive health services could potentially reduce projected population growth by 10% to 15%.

Gates has rejected vaccine- and pandemic-related accusations as “crazy” and “evil.”

Meanwhile, his meetings with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have also drawn scrutiny and fueled further speculation. Gates has described his association with Epstein as a mistake and denied any improper relationship.