Bill Gates warns unregulated AI could cause 'a billion deaths'
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates calls for strict AI regulation in an NBC interview, warning that the technology could have catastrophic consequences if it falls into the wrong hands. He argues that self-regulation by the tech industry is not enough and that lawmakers and law enforcement must now step in.
Gates: "No weapon has ever been this powerful"
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and founder of the Gates Foundation, has warned in an interview with Kristen Welker for NBC's Meet the Press — set to air on Sunday — that unregulated artificial intelligence could, in a worst-case scenario, cause "a billion deaths." According to Gates, the greatest danger lies not in the technology itself, but in the combination of malicious actors with the latest AI tools. "There's never been a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with ill intent using the latest AI tools," Gates said in clips released in advance by NBC.
Calls for regulation, not self-regulation
Gates explicitly states that the industry cannot police itself sufficiently. "No one thinks self-regulation is enough," he said. In his view, politicians and law enforcement must now become actively involved in establishing safeguards and oversight mechanisms. "You need law enforcement and the politicians to get into the discussion about what safeguards and monitoring look like. And that has to be a required thing," Gates said. He stressed that the cost of such regulation for the industry would remain limited — "a little bit of overhead for the industry — but not a dramatic slowing of what they're doing" — meaning regulation would not halt the development of AI.
Follow-up to earlier essay
The interview follows an essay of nearly 6,000 words that Gates published in late August, in which he discussed at length the potentially deadly risks of large-scale AI use. His call echoes earlier warnings from other prominent tech leaders, including Sam Altman and Elon Musk, who have previously spoken out in favor of slowing down AI development. In this context, experts point to risks such as bioweapons and nuclear conflict as possible consequences of malicious AI use.
Microsoft itself under pressure
Gates's remarks coincide with growing criticism of his own company. Employees and activists, united under the group "No Azure for Apartheid," are campaigning for Microsoft to cut ties with the Israeli military, which is alleged to have used AI tools in deadly operations in Gaza and, together with American forces, in Iran. The same source, an essay published by The Guardian on September 25, also claims that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is using AI tools — including Microsoft Azure — to monitor, arrest and deport immigrants on a large scale.
First major appearance since Epstein investigation
The interview marks one of Gates's first major public appearances since he became entangled in the Jeffrey Epstein affair. An external investigation commissioned by the Gates Foundation, published in July, found that Gates took part in around thirty meetings with Epstein between 2011 and 2014, alongside other staff members and leaders of the foundation. Gates has not been accused of involvement in Epstein's crimes and said he regretted "every minute" he spent with Epstein. He remains chairman of the Gates Foundation, with a net worth of $89 billion (approximately £65 billion).
A lighter moment
In a lighter moment during the interview, Gates was asked whether he personally avoids AI. Laughing, he replied that he does not use AI for personal relationships: "I don't socialize with the AI. It knows I'm a very serious person."
Conclusion
With his warning, Gates joins a growing group of tech leaders calling for government regulation of AI, even as his own company simultaneously faces criticism over the deployment of that same technology in sensitive, geopolitical contexts. The exact content and full broadcast of the NBC interview had not been fully confirmed at the time of writing; reporting is based on pre-released clips.