Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, elaborated on his concerns about artificial intelligence and said world leaders are unprepared for the risks. This comes despite Gates being a self-professed optimist when it comes to artificial intelligence. “AI will either be the greatest equalizer ever invented, or the worst source of injustice,” Gates wrote in an essay, shared with Fortune ahead of publication. “The challenge is monumental.”
Gates said the world’s “top priority” should be ensuring AI is used as a force for good. He added, “Unfortunately, right now we are not preparing for it. I don’t see evidence that leaders, experts, and communities are confronting the challenges adequately. There is no plan to ease the entry into the AI era.”
Gates mentioned three risks in particular that he sees because of AI. The first is that “many jobs will disappear forever,” a particular concern for young people who will see entry-level jobs increasingly vanish. He said both white- and blue-collar workers would be affected. Desk jobs such as customer support, both online and over the phone, software engineering and paralegal work will be the first to disappear, while the construction and hospitality industries will likely undergo a shift toward robots by the end of the decade.
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Gates said the next risk is criminals being empowered. This could happen through AI-enabled fraud, disinformation, deepfakes and surveillance. He mentioned that AI means “even criminals with very limited skills will be able to target victims at every scale: individuals, companies, and governments.”
The third fear outlined was about AI stunting children’s development and replacing human relationships. He explained that as a child, he worked hard to develop social skills and make friends, but added: “I doubt I would have put in the same work if I had had an AI companion back then.”
“They talk to you in ways you’re already comfortable with. They don’t push you outside your comfort zone. They are always available and never get mad at you. This gives them the potential to become highly addictive and to rob us of the lessons we learn from connecting with other people.”
This comes at a time when an increasing number of people are expressing concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence on the job market as well as human relationships. However, Gates also elaborated on the potential benefits of the technology.
AI can also make life easier for citizens and make governments more efficient, Gates wrote, noting that families are often overwhelmed when applying for aid, whether for student assistance, health insurance or food assistance. He added: “AI can streamline things dramatically so they get the help they need faster and the government can operate more efficiently. Governments can make the citizen’s experience far better, starting with those who need its safety net services the most.”
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Convenience and assistance with administrative tasks may seem minor, Gates wrote, but added that the benefits “multiplied across millions of lives, they would be profound: more people getting good advice when they need it and having greater freedom to focus on the lives they want to build.”
Gates concluded his essay with a call to action, saying governments need to build new institutions and frameworks to manage the transition to the AI era, “before unemployment rises sharply, communities are hurting, and public trust has eroded.”
“I rarely stop thinking about AI—not because I have all the answers, but because the questions it raises are too consequential to leave to a small group of technologists. Leaders across academia, business, government, and civil society all have a role to play in shaping what comes next,” he wrote in conclusion.