Bill Gates: AI could cause one billion deaths

Billionaire Bill Gates, the U.S. co-founder of Microsoft, warned that artificial intelligence could ultimately be responsible for "one billion deaths."

Responding to a question in an interview with NBC, broadcast Friday, about whether he thought AI was powerful enough to wipe out humanity, the tech magnate said: "AI is certainly powerful enough to drive events that could, as you know, result in one billion deaths."

Gates added: "History has never seen a weapon that has the power to combine bad actors with their use of the latest AI tools."

When asked whether he thought legislation was needed to regulate AI, Gates said: "No one thinks self-regulation is sufficient."

He added: "You need law enforcement and politicians to work out how to define protection and oversight mechanisms."

Gates' warnings come at a time when the chiefs of major companies specializing in artificial intelligencecalled on the United Nations last Wednesday to establish controls on this emerging technology they are developing, with the aim of saving the world or at least saving its inhabitants.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres last Tuesday warned of "killer robots," and experts and European leaders have said the warning is not an exaggeration but is already a reality or is very imminent and entails serious risks.