Bill Gates’ new warning: "The world is not ready for AI"

Bill Gates has warned that the world is dangerously unprepared for the disruption brought by artificial intelligence, a technology that is destroying jobs and threatening human connections, especially among young people. In a nearly 6,000-word post on his blog, the Microsoft co-founder wrote that the transition to the age of artificial intelligence will be among the most turbulent periods in human history, and that no one has yet produced a credible plan to manage it.

The position of Gates, 70 years old, who today presides over the philanthropic foundation that bears his name, will probably arouse strong negative reactions from many representatives of the Silicon Valley and the Trump administration, who blame the “alarmist” attitudes of some tech leaders for giving the AI ​​revolution a bad reputation. According to Gates, AI “will be the greatest equalizer ever created, or the worst source of injustice.”

“No plan” for entering the AI ​​era

Gates wrote that there is no plan to make entering the age of artificial intelligence less traumatic, adding that he would gladly support it if one existed. However, he added that he does not believe this will happen, because geopolitical and economic incentives push too hard towards maximum speed.

The three main risks according to Bill Gates

Gates identified three main risks related to the rapid spread of artificial intelligence. The first is the permanent destruction of jobs. According to Gates, comparisons with the transition from agricultural to office work are misleading, because that transition took place over generations and created roles that still required human thinking. Artificial intelligence, he warned, may replace thinking itself, hitting industries such as law, medicine, customer service, software and manufacturing within about a decade. Entry- and mid-level positions are the most exposed, Gates said, leaving young people facing a job market with far fewer opportunities. Manual labor will follow the same fate as robots become cheaper, with the construction and hospitality sectors under pressure already by the end of the decade. Gates suggested that some jobs should be reserved for humans, even if artificial intelligence could do them better and at lower cost.

The second risk identified by Gates concerns the fact that artificial intelligence provides new capabilities to those who want to use them maliciously. The specialists of IT security Those he knows, Gates said, are alarmed that attackers are gaining ground faster than defenders can patch vulnerabilities. Hospitals, banks, water systems and electricity grids are all exposed, he added. The third area of ​​risk concerns children and human relationships. Citing research, Gates said AI chatbots, which never challenge or frustrate users, risk becoming addictive and deprive people of the chance to develop social skills. According to Gates, these tools “rob us of the lessons we learn from connecting with other people.”

Bill Gates’ ties to the tech sector

Gates acknowledged that he maintains deep financial ties to the tech sector, explaining that profits from his investments will flow into his foundation, which plans to spend the remainder 200 billion dollars over the next twenty years. The essay comes months after Gates was heard by the US House Oversight Committee about his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after telling lawmakers in June that the relationship was “a serious error of judgement”.