Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned that the misuse of artificial intelligence by malicious actors could cause catastrophic loss of life, potentially killing more than one billion people.
Speaking in an interview, Gates called for immediate government oversight and stronger legal frameworks to ensure that AI is not used for harmful purposes. He said the technology should not be left to voluntary safeguards alone.
Gates said the combination of advanced AI and individuals with malicious intentions could create an unprecedented danger.
While acknowledging that regulation could add some pressure on the AI industry, he said it should not prevent technological progress.
The warning comes amid growing international concern over AI safety. The CEOs of OpenAI, Anthropic and Hugging Face recently briefed the UN Security Council on the risks and challenges linked to the technology.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned that AI could become dangerous to humanity if the industry is not properly regulated.
Yoshua Bengio, a leading AI expert and co-chair of a UN scientific panel, also said the risks were real and rapidly approaching.
Bengio stressed the need for international cooperation, saying no single country could tackle AI-related risks on its own because the technology has no geographical boundaries.
However, US President Donald Trump has rejected proposals for global controls on AI.
He has called AI a “wonderful technology” and said the United States would proceed carefully while avoiding restrictions that could slow technological progress.