Bill Gates is calling on the United States to take the lead globally in regulating artificial intelligence. The Microsoft co-founder believes that relying solely on the companies developing these new systems is inadequate; Washington should step in with 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 thinks self-regulation is enough," he stated, advocating for Congressional action.
His main concern is the potential for increasingly powerful AI tools to fall into the hands of those who intend to use them to cause widespread harm. Gates painted extreme scenarios, suggesting that this technology could contribute to events resulting in up to a billion casualties.
According to the American philanthropist, the issue isn't just the power of AI itself, but its combination with individuals or small groups driven by hostile intentions. Capabilities that were once largely the domain of 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 view from the Donald Trump administration, which focused primarily on the technological competition between the US and China. In early September, Trump dismissed calls for new federal constraints on companies developing AI models, arguing that maintaining leadership in the sector was crucial in the international arena.
Gates acknowledged the legitimacy of the American competitiveness issue 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 intervention.
However, the challenge isn't just for Washington. Gates believes international cooperation will be necessary, even though reaching a global agreement on AI might be more complex than the Cold War negotiations to limit nuclear arsenals.
The Microsoft co-founder highlighted the role the US has played since the end of World War II in building international agreements on issues concerning collective security. Examples include aviation safety, ozone layer protection, and nuclear arms control.
Gates argues that the same approach should be applied to artificial intelligence, starting with the principle that the risks associated with this technology do not stop at national borders.
(Associated Medias) - Tutti i diritti sono riservati