Microsoft founder Bill Gates has published a lengthy essay on his personal website, delivering a stark warning to humanity about the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI), reports infohub.kz.
In the nearly 6,000-word essay, the 70-year-old entrepreneur predicts mass unemployment and economic upheaval, and details the consequences of AI falling into the hands of criminals. He urges leaders worldwide to immediately begin cooperating to address the dark side of this technology.
"From an equality perspective, AI will either become the greatest equalizer ever invented or the worst source of injustice. The task is colossal. Even under the most favorable circumstances, the transition to this new AI era will be one of the most turbulent periods in human history," Gates warned.
In his essay, Gates stated that progress in AI is advancing at a "mind-boggling speed." "For the first time, artificial intelligence can replace and surpass human cognition," he wrote, adding that soon "AI will significantly outperform humans in many tasks."
"Unfortunately, we are not ready for this now. I see no evidence that leaders, experts, and communities are adequately addressing these challenges. There is no plan to ease the transition into the AI era," Gates added.
He noted that the AI era is vastly different from the personal computer revolution, which took 20 years to substantially change how people adapted to working with PCs.