Bill Gates urges government AI regulation over extinction risks

Bill Gates said artificial intelligence requires government regulation because the technology is powerful enough to cause a billion deaths if misused, as he stated on Meet the Press. The Microsoft founder made the remarks ahead of a planned meeting involving President Donald Trump and AI industry leaders. The meeting in Washington, previously announced by House Speaker Mike Johnson, is expected to cover corporate responsibility for safety and the government's potential role in regulating the sector. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has shown caution on passing AI legislation this year, though Senator Amy Klobuchar is seeking more Democratic support for a 2023 bill requiring certification of critical AI systems and transparency measures. The safety debate intensified after former Anthropic researcher Jacob Kokson claimed AI creators seriously consider human extinction possible by decade's end, with Anthropic's Evan Hubinger estimating over 10% probability. OpenAI's Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei have since advocated for international cooperation and common standards in AI development.