Bill Gates Warns AI Could Cause a Billion Deaths if Misused

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates warned that artificial intelligence could cause catastrophic loss of life if powerful AI tools were used by people with malicious intent.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has called for government safeguards as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly powerful. [Photo: Bill Gates Facebook]

In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," Gates said AI was powerful enough to cause events resulting in as many as 1 billion deaths.

"There's never been a weapon as powerful as the combination of people with ill intent using the latest AI tools," Gates said.

Gates also argued that self-regulation by technology companies would not be sufficient and called for governments and law-enforcement agencies to establish safeguards and monitoring requirements for advanced AI systems.

His comments come amid growing debate among technology companies, researchers and policymakers over the potential risks associated with increasingly capable AI systems.