Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has identified artificial intelligence (AI) as the most significant invention in human history. In his annual letter, the billionaire philanthropist asserted that the scale of transformation this technology will bring will be unprecedented. “Of all the things humans have ever created, AI will change society the most,” Gates wrote.While Gates remains optimistic about the opportunities AI presents for healthcare and education, he noted that the technology “poses considerable threats to the global population.” He emphasised that while the change could be for the better, risks remain high if the technology is used by “bad actors.” For this, he is warning about the downside to the significant healthcare changes AI could bring.“In 2015, I gave a TED talk warning that the world was not ready to handle a pandemic. If we had prepared properly for the COVID pandemic, the amount of human suffering would have been dramatically less. Today, an even greater risk than a naturally caused pandemic is that a non-government group will use open source AI tools to design a bioterrorism weapon,” Gates added.
How Bill Gates wants society to be ready for AI
Gates highlighted that society needs to do more to prepare itself for an AI era and that work so far hasn’t been adequate. There are two key issues arising from the technology, he believes: the first is artificial intelligence being used by bad actors, and the second is disruption to the job market.“Both are real risks that we need to do a better job managing. We’ll need to be deliberate about how this technology is developed, governed, and deployed,” Gates wrote in this annual letter.Companies and regulators are already dealing with the consequences of AI being used to cause harm. Recently, the UK’s media regulator, Ofcom, launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk’s X social media platform. The regulator will investigate whether X violated the country’s stringent safety laws, which require tech platforms to protect citizens from illegal content.The investigation comes after X’s Grok AI chatbot was reportedly being used to create non-consensual sexualised photos and child abuse material. Earlier this week, the UK Prime Minister called the AI-generated photos produced by Elon Musk’s Grok AI platform on X (formerly Twitter) “disgusting” and “unlawful” and asked the platform to “get a grip” on its technology.
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