The use and misuse of AI – and the dangers it could create – is one of the hottest topics in the world at the moment. Now, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has shared a terrifying warning, claiming AI could “cause a billion deaths.“
AI has been around for years, and while it offers many benefits, some people remain concerned about its development. Some claim AI will take jobs from regular people, which it already has in some fields, while others argue it will create new lines of work and possibilities.
Meanwhile, the use of AI, such as a tool in medicine to find cures for diseases, or to help structure your calendar, is already here.
But recently, some have issued terrifying scenarios about what is happening within the field of AI. For example, a few weeks ago, Jacob Coxon, who worked at both OpenAI and Anthropic, quit, saying he could no longer take part in the AI race because of its dangers.
In a post on X, Coxon said he had quit his role and shared a serious, terrifying claim about what could happen next. Essentially, he accused the industry of “gambling with our lives.”
“Do not underestimate the power of this technology. These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources. We have all witnessed the progress in each of these domains, and progress is not slowing,” Coxon wrote on X.
“The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. This is not a marketing stunt. If anything, many executives and senior researchers will couch their phrasing in the press to sound sensible – but I hear the same people express fear privately. No other human activity poses this level of danger,” he continued.
Bill Gates issues chilling warning that AI could “cause a billion deaths”
Other AI experts have raised similar concerns. For example, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wrote in a blog post that artificial intelligence could “dramatically raise the quality of human life” and do all sorts of things like cure diseases, boost the economy and make many things way better.
