Rishi Sunak, Bill Gates interviewed by chatbot: What part of your jobs would you like AI to do?

Rishi Sunak and Bill Gates answer a chatbot’s questions. (Image credit: Screengrab from video posted on YouTube by 10 Downing Street)

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates recently sat down to answer questions generated by a chatbot -- apparently ChatGPT, although they did not name it.

Questions ranged from AI's bigger impact on the world to reflective ones like "what is the best advice you have ever received?"

The interview began with a question about how Artificial Intelligence will impact the economy and job markets in the next decade. AI has become a huge talking point thanks to ChatGPT, that Microsoft is integrating with its search engine Bing. ChatGPT has shown the ability to write code, songs, academic essays, plays and answer just about any question

Gates said AI can help the world become more efficient and deal with labour shortages in healthcare and education.

Coming to more personal question, Gates and Sunak were asked what part of their jobs they would want AI to do. Gates' response was helping him make his notes cleverer by adding drawings and poems.

Sunak said he would like AI to participate in the prime minister's question time on his behalf. "If I can have some AI avatar deal with that for me every week, that would be great," he added.

Then, the AI chatbot asked them if they could go back in time, what would they tell their younger selves?

Bill Gates said: "I was very intense on myself and I tried to apply it to other people too. I would want myself to realise it sooner. I had a narrow view of the working style, the talking style."

Sunak's answer was similar. He said being a child of immigrant parents, he was always working hard to get ahead. "You've got to live a little bit in the moment," he added.

Then, the interview moved to the best advice they got in their careers.

Sunak said he was once told it's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice. "That doesn't mean you can't take tough decisions and be firm, but I think that means treating people with decency and empathy," he added.

Gates said his best advice came from veteran investor and friend Warren Buffett and physicist Richard Feynman.

"In the end, it's how friends think of you and how strong those friendships are," Gates said, referring to Buffett. "Richard Feynman said its good to show your confusion because if you pretend to know something, then your thinking gets sloppy ."

During the interview, Sunak and Gates were also asked what gave them hope about the world despite immense challenges.

Sunak said it was the humanity that he saw from people while working as a senior politician.

Gates said because of increasing education levels and young people keen to address challenges like climate change and inequity, the future seemed "very very bright".