Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates stated that President Trump's dismissal of artificial intelligence (AI) risks as a "hoax" represents a societal blind spot regarding the technology's pace. Speaking on CBS Mornings, Gates characterized AI as an "evolutionary event" that differs from previous technological shifts due to its potential to surpass human intelligence. The comments follow a period in which technology industry leaders, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, have proposed slowing the development of AI models.
Gates stated that the president’s skepticism is shared by many who view AI as similar to historical technologies. However, Gates argued that if the president were to lead a global effort to manage the technology, he would deserve recognition. The philanthropist noted that while AI offers benefits, it also carries the potential for misuse in areas such as financial hacking and bioterrorism.
In an essay published last month, Gates wrote that AI will impact global industries including law, medicine, manufacturing, software, and customer service. He estimated these disruptions would occur within a decade rather than over several generations. To address global disparities in technology access, the Gates Foundation is spending $1 billion toward advancing large language models in non-English languages, particularly to assist patients in regions like Africa who lack access to doctors.
The technological investment involves a $1 billion commitment from the Gates Foundation. This funding is aimed at advancing AI tools for languages beyond English, which Gates noted currently have poor quality of support. For a patient in a rural area of Africa, this could mean the ability to describe symptoms in a native language to an AI application that provides medical support. Without the right policies, Gates suggested there will be far fewer total positions than exist today.
Gates has called for new regulations, taxes, and restrictions to manage what he describes as a potentially turbulent era. The next steps for the Gates Foundation involve advancing these multi-language AI tools, while the technology industry continues to debate proposals regarding the speed of development.