Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned that artificial intelligence could be powerful enough to enable events causing catastrophic loss of life if advanced systems are misused, and said stronger government oversight is needed.
In an interview with NBC News, Gates said the combination of powerful AI tools and people with harmful intentions could create risks on a scale unlike previous technologies.
He called on governments, law-enforcement agencies and politicians to help establish mandatory safeguards and monitoring for AI systems.
Growing Concerns Over Frontier AI
Gates’ comments follow a report from the Alan Turing Institute, which said there is a “realistic possibility” that superintelligent AI systems could emerge within five years and potentially exceed human capabilities across major cognitive tasks.
The report warned that inadequate human oversight could create risks involving chemical and biological threats, misinformation and democratic institutions.
Other AI researchers and executives have also called for stronger safeguards.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has advocated slowing the development of frontier AI and introducing third-party evaluations, shared safety benchmarks and international cooperation.
Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon has warned of potentially severe long-term risks, while Anthropic alignment researcher Evan Hubinger has discussed the possibility of catastrophic outcomes.
Gates argued that AI companies alone should not determine safety standards, saying regulation would add some costs but need not significantly slow the industry’s overall development.
