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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Arwa Mahdawi

Bill Gates thinks AI could kill a billion people – but can we trust his judgment after Epstein?

Bill Gates adjusts his glasses, wearing a dark sweater against a blue background
Bill Gates at the World Economic Forum in January this year. Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

The Bill Gates rehabilitation tour is in full swing. After having his carefully cultivated image tarnished by the revelation of his connection to Jeffrey Epstein, Gates lay low for a while. Now, however, the Microsoft co-founder is once again thrusting himself into the public consciousness, this time with a dire warning about AI. If left unchecked, AI could cause “a billion deaths”, Gates declared in an interview with NBC on Sunday.

Perhaps I should be terrified by this announcement from a man who, for all his sins, knows a thing or two about technology. But I’m sick of hearing about the hypothetical dangers of AI when the technology is being used to kill people today. Gates may not be directly involved in Microsoft any more, but, rather than making prophecies about the future, I’d love to hear what he thinks about the company’s role in the AI-enabled destruction of Gaza.

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