Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates warned that artificial intelligence is powerful enough to drive events that could cause a billion deaths if left unchecked, using a televised interview to press for congressional regulation of the technology.
Speaking on NBC's «Meet the Press» on Sunday, Gates stopped short of saying AI could end all of humanity but argued that the combination of people with ill intent and the latest AI tools represents a weapon without precedent. «AI is certainly powerful enough to drive events that, you know, cause a billion deaths,» Gates said. «You know, so 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.»
Gates has previously described AI as potentially the «greatest equalizer» or the «worst source of injustice» depending on the level of human oversight applied to it. His latest remarks place him alongside other technology executives, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who have issued public warnings about the risks of advanced AI systems.
The interview put Gates at odds with the Trump administration's approach. President Donald Trump has rejected calls to slow AI development, framing the issue as a race against global powers such as China. Gates disagreed, saying there «absolutely» needed to be more focus on regulation and legislation passed by Congress rather than anxiety about international competition.
«The problem is that the rest of the world is either discounting this or just thinking of this as a competition. And it's very scary that we don't have all of the thinkers saying, 'How do we want to shape this?'» Gates said. When host Kristen Welker compared the challenge to Cold War limitations on nuclear weapons development between the United States and the Soviet Union, Gates called AI «more difficult,» particularly if there is less effort to work with allies. «And, you know, because it's cast in this nationalistic, you know, us versus them type thing, you have people who are saying, 'Well, let's just go full-speed ahead.' It's completely irresponsible not to require every AI to have these safeguards and monitoring capabilities. And it only is a question of do you do it now?» he said.
Reaction to Gates' comments split along familiar lines. Amy Kremer, a Republican National Committee member and chairwoman of Humans First, said Gates was now acknowledging dangers that others still deny. «Even Bill Gates, one of the most influential figures in the history of technology, is now admitting the dangers of artificial intelligence. He warns that AI could drive events causing a billion deaths and that people with ill intent have never held a more powerful weapon. At this point, the only people still denying the reality of the situation are those being paid by Big AI to gaslight the American people,» Kremer said.
Nancy Tengler, CEO of Laffer Tengler Investments, challenged Gates' framing. «To say that 'there's never been a weapon as powerful' is an absolute statement rich in irony as the [Trump] Administration seeks to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of the Iranian regime. The U.S. needs to win the AI race just as we sought to win the arms race during the Cold War,» Tengler said.
Julia Cartwright, a senior research fellow in law and economics at the American Institute for Economic Research, offered a more optimistic view, describing the scenario Gates outlined as a catastrophic negative externality. She said AI is sharply lowering the cost of causing harm, whether through bioweapons design, cyberattacks or large-scale fraud, while the companies building the tools do not bear the full cost when things go wrong. «A way to combat this is clear liability and clear rules of the game, so developers internalize the risks they create. Done right, that doesn't slow American innovation it strengthens it, because firms can build and invest with confidence when they know what's expected of them, and the public can trust what they're building,» Cartwright said.
Gates' intervention comes as lawmakers in Washington continue to grapple with how to oversee rapidly advancing AI systems, with some Republicans joining calls for government action even as the administration prioritizes speed over caution. Fox News Digital reached out to the Gates Foundation for comment.