Bill Gates is calling on the United States to take the lead in global AI regulation. According to the Microsoft co-founder, relying solely on companies developing these new systems is inadequate. Washington should enact federal legislation to set boundaries and safety measures.
In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press", Gates emphasized that there is now widespread awareness of the need for rules. "No one believes self-regulation is sufficient," he stated, advocating for Congressional action.
His main concern is the possibility that increasingly powerful AI tools could fall into the hands of those intending to cause large-scale harm. Gates described extreme scenarios, suggesting that this technology could contribute to events with up to a billion casualties.
For the American philanthropist, the issue is not just AI's power but its combination with individuals or small groups with hostile intentions. Capabilities once reserved for states, from sophisticated cyberattacks to designing biological threats, could become accessible to much smaller organizations thanks to new technological tools.
Gates also expressed a different stance from Donald Trump's administration, which focused on the technological competition between the US and China. In early September, Trump rejected calls for new federal constraints on companies developing AI models, arguing that maintaining leadership in the field was crucial for international competition.
Gates acknowledged the legitimacy of American competitiveness but believes it's possible to build a system of safeguards without compromising the US's position relative to other countries. He suggests that a deeper discussion on the risks could lead to political consensus on the need for action.
However, the challenge isn't just for Washington. Gates believes international cooperation is necessary, even though reaching a global agreement on AI might be more complex than Cold War negotiations to limit nuclear arsenals.
The Microsoft co-founder highlighted the role the US has played since World War II in creating international agreements on issues of collective security. Examples include aviation safety, ozone layer protection, and nuclear arms control.
Gates argues that the same approach should be applied to AI, based on the principle that the risks associated with this technology do not stop at national borders.
(Associated Medias) - All rights reserved