Bill Gates: "Artificial intelligence could lead to a pandemic worse than coronavirus"

Bill Gates warned that AI could be used to develop biological weapons and cause a pandemic worse than COVID-19. He also criticized the Trump administration for insufficient involvement in international AI regulation and called for mandatory safety standards.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates warned that artificial intelligence could be used to develop biological weapons and cause a pandemic whose consequences would be significantly more severe than COVID-19. He made this statement at the Future of AI conference organized by the Financial Times in London. Gates also criticized the administration of Donald Trump, accusing it of ignoring threats and hindering international efforts to regulate AI. In his view, relying solely on self-regulation by technology companies is insufficient, and the only solution is government regulation. Gates proposed establishing mandatory safety standards for advanced AI models, strengthening the protection of critical infrastructure, and expanding epidemiological monitoring systems, including analysis of air, wastewater, and blood samples. At the same time, he emphasized that the positive potential of AI should not be ignored.