Billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates openly warns that artificial intelligence poses a serious threat to jobs and human life, and that urgent solutions to related risks must become “the top priority for the whole world.”
In an interview with The New York Times, Gates stated that the tech sector is intentionally downplaying the significance of these threats because there is too much money at stake.
“In private conversations, people who understand how good these technologies are and how quickly they are advancing are very concerned,” he said. However, according to Gates, few tech company leaders are willing to publicly acknowledge this: “They are now telling each other, ‘Hey, buddy, don’t talk about this. It’s bad for us because we’re trying to attract the next trillion dollars.’”
He stated that without appropriate measures, mass job losses are inevitable as artificial intelligence spreads throughout the economy, and as a result, there will be no sector left that can employ workers who have lost jobs in other fields.
The world’s largest tech companies, including Microsoft, are competing with each other to help corporate clients implement artificial intelligence that can replace regular employees.
According to Gates, companies are simply responding to market incentives, but these incentives may contradict more beneficial solutions for society.
He proposed introducing a new tax on the use of artificial intelligence, known as the “token tax,” to make the replacement of people with artificial intelligence more costly, and to direct the funds raised to support those who have lost their jobs.
Gates believes that certain professions should not be handed over to artificial intelligence at all. He referred to this concept as “Human Reserved,” as such work has a deeply personal nature, such as caring for people.
“I don’t like to give people bad news and I don’t like to say that innovations can ultimately cause more harm than good. But this is the situation we find ourselves in now,” Gates said.
