Driving the news: “AI is certainly powerful enough to drive events that, you know, cause a billion deaths,” he will tell Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, per excerpts NBC released Friday.
- “Even though it’s pretty hard to get to 100%, there’s never been a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with ill intent using the latest AI tools.”
Zoom out: Gates released a memo in August that defined AI as a technology more consequential than virtually any other in history.
- In the essay, he argued that “AI will either be the greatest equalizer ever invented, or the worst source of injustice.”
- “On the current course and speed, there’s a very high chance of a net negative outcome,” he said.
What’s next: Gates says that government and political parties need to work together now to find ways to keep AI from spiraling out of control.