Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said artificial intelligence could become a tool for causing harm on an unprecedented scale. In an interview with NBC News, the entrepreneur warned that malicious actors could use the latest AI technologies to trigger events that would kill a billion people, according to infohub.kz.
"AI is certainly powerful enough to drive events that, you know, lead to a billion deaths. You know, even though it's quite hard to achieve 100%, there has never been a weapon as powerful as people with evil intent combining with the latest AI tools," NBC News quoted Gates as saying.
According to the businessman, developers should not determine all safety rules on their own. He called on U.S. authorities to adopt mandatory requirements for AI oversight and to involve lawmakers and law enforcement in the discussion.
"No one thinks self-regulation is enough," Gates said.
He added that mandatory oversight would require additional costs for companies but should not significantly slow the technology's development. NBC News plans to air the full interview on September 27.