Bill Gates Warns AI Is ‘Powerful’ Enough To ‘Cause A Billion Deaths’

0:01This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome? That's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18+. Billionaire Bill Gates told Meet the Press that government regulation is needed for artificial intelligence and warned the technology is powerful enough to cause a billion deaths if used maliciously, as Washington and the AI industry consider how to move forward in light of dire warnings about AI's potential effects.

0:46NBC News released a clip Friday of Gates's interview with Meet the Press in which he was asked about warnings from AI workers that the technology could potentially wipe out humanity. Gates said AI is certainly powerful enough to drive events that cause a billion deaths, adding there's never been a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with ill intent using the latest AI tools. Gates was also asked about Anthropic CEO Dario Amadei's recent essay calling for a slowdown on AI, which argued frontier labs should slow down the pace of their progress and voluntarily work together to set standards around artificial intelligence.

1:27No one thinks self-regulation is enough, Gates said, about the prospect of AI companies leading the charge on curbing their own actions, arguing there absolutely needs to be legislation regulating AI and you need law enforcement and the politicians to get into the discussion about what safeguards and monitoring look like. Amadeus' essay also called for government involvement in AI, though he noted, unfortunately, passing laws can take time and AI is advancing very quickly. It still remains to be seen what the federal government will do on AI regulation, as Republican leaders in Congress have downplayed the issue after President Donald Trump came out strongly against AI guardrails and described calls for regulation as a hoax.

2:12Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune so far haven't shown much urgency when it comes to passing legislation on AI. Johnson has downplayed fears the technology could wipe out humanity and while Thune has long called for regulating AI, the senator has more recently suggested he won't be pushing for the matter to be taken up as an urgent priority. The debate over AI safety and regulation has sharply escalated in recent weeks after former anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, publicly announced on September 9th that he had resigned from the company and alleged the people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.

2:51Google, Anthropic and OpenAI have since banded together in the wake of the outcry and started making plans for an AI safety group. Altman and Amadei also stressed the need for global cooperation and international standards on AI at the UN this week, with Amadei arguing decisions on the technology must be shaped through the democratic processes and by governments accountable to the people they serve. For more on the story, click the link in the description.

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