Bill Gates fears AI could be used to design bioterrorism weapons

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (Courtesy: Reuters photo)

• Bill Gates warns AI could be misused for bioterrorism by non-state actors
• He urges stronger global action to manage AI risks and job market disruption
• AI is affecting jobs now, with greater impact expected in the next five years

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Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has cautioned that artificial intelligence (AI) could be misused by non-state actors to create bioterrorism weapons, particularly as open-source AI tools become more widely accessible.

In his annual letter 'Optimism with Footnotes' released on January 9, the billionaire said that while AI is poised to be the most transformative force shaping society, it also presents serious risks that could endanger people worldwide.

"In 2015, I gave a TED talk warning that the world was not ready to handle a pandemic. If we had prepared properly for the Covid pandemic, the amount of human suffering would have been dramatically less. Today, an even greater risk than a naturally-caused pandemic is that a non-government group will use open source AI tools to design a bioterrorism weapon," he wrote.

The 70-year-old philanthropist stressed that the world must take stronger and more proactive steps to prepare for the age of artificial intelligence, noting that current efforts fall well short of what is needed. He believes there are two key issues arising because of the technology - AI being used by bad actors and disruption to the jobs market.

"Both are real risks that we need to do a better job managing. We'll need to be deliberate about how this technology is developed, governed, and deployed," he added.

On the second challenge of job market disruption, Gates said that the pace of growth of AI was already disrupting the job demand in areas like software development.

"AI capabilities will allow us to make far more goods and services with less labor. In a mathematical sense, we should be able to allocate these new capabilities in ways that benefit everyone. As AI delivers on its potential, we could reduce the work week or even decide there are some areas we don't want to use AI in," he wrote.

Bill Gates noted that the affect artificial intelligence on jobs is already becoming evident. "We are already starting to see the impact of AI on the job market, and I think this impact will grow over the next five years. Even if the transition takes longer than I expect, we should use 2026 to prepare ourselves for these change," he added.