Microsoft founder Bill Gates warned on September 25 that artificial intelligence has the potential to create threats leading to the deaths of a billion people.
“AI certainly has enough power to trigger events that could lead to the deaths of a billion people,” Gates stated.
According to Gates, while it remains difficult to assess the probability of such a scenario as one hundred percent, the combination of individuals with malicious intentions and modern artificial intelligence tools creates unprecedented risks.
The entrepreneur also urged attention not only to long-term threats to humanity but also to the already existing possibility of using AI to cause serious harm.
A report by the Alan Turing Institute in the UK released on September 23 warns that within five years, AI systems may surpass humans in all cognitive tasks. This development could result in a loss of meaningful human control over these systems. The report further highlights threats to cybersecurity and democratic processes, the risk of AI actions diverging from human intentions, as well as potential chemical and biological hazards.
