Gates Says that the Era of AI-Enabled Cyberattacks and Bioterrorism Has Arrived

IBL News | New York

Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, businessman and philanthropist, gave a blunt warning about the risks that AI poses, stating that the era of AI-enabled cyberattacks and bioterrorism has arrived. During a podcast interview on “The Ezra Klein Show” in The New York Times this week.

Gates stressed how unprepared the world is for the risk that AI systems could go rogue and endanger lives in the future.

These are some of his views:

“AI has crossed the threshold that its ability to empower a bioterrorist to kill hundreds of millions — that exists today.
The ability to do a cyberattack that scrambles all of the bank accounts, shuts down the electric grid — that exists today, and we know that’s the case.
It is insane to rely on A.I. labs to self-regulate.
This is the most dangerous thing that humans have ever come near.
It will be an AI job apocalypse. So far, AI has created more jobs than it has destroyed, but it is only a matter of time before AI models become reliable enough to begin replacing large swaths of the workforce. We will, in the next few years, cross over those thresholds for accounting, legal work, telesales, telesupport — where there’s service 24 hours a day, in every language, with infinite trivia capability and no urgency. In every category where AI comes into play, the preference for AI doing the job is very, very strong.
I support a robot tax and human-reserved jobs. I will help fund the safety net and blunt the rush to replace human workers. The current tax structure, he argued, incentivizes rather than discourages A.I. automation.
In low-income countries, AI will overwhelmingly be a good thing, and it should be advanced as quickly as possible. AI can help farmers learn which seeds to plant and provide medical advice to people who have never seen a doctor.
We are in a period of transition, and AI could ultimately lead to “superabundance.”
Gates remains optimistic about the world that A.I. could usher in. He believes AI will lead to “mind-blowing advances” that will lower the cost of food, housing, and education, and could usher in an era of “superabundance” in the future. The key question is how we ride out the 20-year-plus transition period.”

IBL News | New York

Gates stressed how unprepared the world is for the risk that AI systems could go rogue and endanger lives in the future.

These are some of his views:

“AI has crossed the threshold that its ability to empower a bioterrorist to kill hundreds of millions — that exists today.
The ability to do a cyberattack that scrambles all of the bank accounts, shuts down the electric grid — that exists today, and we know that’s the case.
It is insane to rely on A.I. labs to self-regulate.
This is the most dangerous thing that humans have ever come near.
It will be an AI job apocalypse. So far, AI has created more jobs than it has destroyed, but it is only a matter of time before AI models become reliable enough to begin replacing large swaths of the workforce. We will, in the next few years, cross over those thresholds for accounting, legal work, telesales, telesupport — where there’s service 24 hours a day, in every language, with infinite trivia capability and no urgency. In every category where AI comes into play, the preference for AI doing the job is very, very strong.
I support a robot tax and human-reserved jobs. I will help fund the safety net and blunt the rush to replace human workers. The current tax structure, he argued, incentivizes rather than discourages A.I. automation.
In low-income countries, AI will overwhelmingly be a good thing, and it should be advanced as quickly as possible. AI can help farmers learn which seeds to plant and provide medical advice to people who have never seen a doctor.
We are in a period of transition, and AI could ultimately lead to “superabundance.”
Gates remains optimistic about the world that A.I. could usher in. He believes AI will lead to “mind-blowing advances” that will lower the cost of food, housing, and education, and could usher in an era of “superabundance” in the future. The key question is how we ride out the 20-year-plus transition period.”