Bill Gates warns AI could kill a billion people

Bill Gates has warned that AI could kill a billion people and gradually wipe out humanity.

In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Gates said AI now has such power that it could cause events with massive human loss of life.

“Artificial intelligence is certainly powerful enough to lead to events that, as you know, cause the death of a billion people,” he said in a clip from the interview published by NBC.

Gates also noted that while it is extraordinarily difficult to reach 100% probability, “there has never been a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with bad intentions and the most advanced AI tools.”

Just a month ago, Gates described AI as a technology with a greater impact than almost any other in history and argued it could become “the worst source of injustice.”

Gates has stressed that AI could bring major changes to jobs, healthcare, the economy and society, but considers it essential to build control frameworks to limit the risks.

He argues that governments and political parties must work together immediately to find ways to prevent AI from developing into a force that escapes human control.