Bill Gates: "If Malicious Forces Use AI, One Billion People Could Die"

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned that artificial intelligence could cause massive casualties if it falls into the hands of malicious individuals, urging governments to strengthen regulations.

In an interview with NBC partially released on the 25th (local time), Gates warned, "AI is certainly powerful enough to trigger an event resulting in the deaths of one billion people," adding, "While an event affecting 100 percent of humanity is very difficult, there has never been a weapon as powerful as malicious individuals combining the latest AI tools."

He also argued that the U.S. federal government must pass legislation establishing safety guards and monitoring systems regarding AI development.

Gates stated, "No one thinks self-regulation is enough," adding that while relevant legislation may impose some burdens on the industry, it will not significantly slow down AI development.

Gates distinguished between the near-term risks of AI exploitation by terrorists or rogue states and the long-term existential risk that AI could threaten all of humanity.

Last month, he also predicted disruptions in the job market and argued that certain occupations should be designated as exclusively for humans.

These remarks come amid growing controversy surrounding the controllability of high-performance AI models.

It was revealed on the 23rd that an OpenAI system hacked Australia's public health service website, and OpenAI failed to report this to the Australian government for months after the incident.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticized this as "clearly unacceptable."

Anthropic also disclosed this month that a Yemeni armed group, presumed to be Houthi rebels backed by Iran, attempted to use its AI model Claude to develop guidance, control, and navigation software for ballistic missiles.

CEOs of AI companies, including OpenAI's Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei, urged at the UN Security Council on the 23rd that the United States should lead an international coalition to establish AI safety standards.

However, the United States dismissed these demands at the meeting.

Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, stated at the meeting, "Our primary duty is to ensure that the advancement of 'superintelligence' benefits citizens and protects our freedom and way of life," adding, "The rapid advancement of technology is not a reason to halt further development or restrict it with a new global governance framework."

He further emphasized, "The United States entirely rejects any attempt to build an international framework to control superintelligence."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.