Bill Gates: AI Could Destroy Humanity Within Years

Billionaire Bill Gates warned that artificial intelligence could destroy humanity within a few years, calling the combination of malicious actors and advanced AI tools the most powerful weapon ever created. In an interview with NBC News' "Meet the Press," Gates said AI is capable of causing the deaths of one billion people, though he urged attention to current dangers from bad actors. He also called for US lawmakers to regulate AI development, stating no one believes self-regulation is sufficient. Gates' comments follow similar calls from CEOs of AI companies Anthropic and OpenAI to slow development, prompted by former Anthropic employee Jacob Coxon accusing firms of gambling with human lives. Gates added that regulation would not significantly slow industry operations.