Bill Gates has issued one of his starkest warnings yet about the future of artificial intelligence, cautioning that the technology could unleash catastrophic risks the world isn't prepared for, while accusing top tech executives of privately agreeing but publicly staying silent.
Gates, who once championed AI's potential, says his stance has shifted dramatically. Among his biggest fears is the threat of engineered pandemics. "The bioterrorism risk is 50 times the natural pandemic risk now," Gates said, warning that open-source AI tools could soon make it far easier for bad actors to design a deadly new disease.
Beyond biological threats, Gates is also raising alarms over AI's impact on the job market. He fears the technology could displace huge numbers of workers, particularly hitting young people just entering the workforce, before society has built the safety nets to handle the fallout.
According to Gates, several major AI leaders privately share his concerns but have been reluctant to speak publicly. He specifically pointed to Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, who Gates says still stands by warnings he made years earlier about society being unprepared for AI's sweeping changes.
Gates isn't alone in sounding the alarm. Google DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis has also sharpened his warnings recently, even proposing a federally overseen body to test advanced AI models before they're released to the public.
As Gates prepares to publish a deeper analysis on AI's biological risks, his message is clear: the world's biggest tech companies know more than they're letting on.