Bill Gates urges US Congress to mandate AI safeguards, warns of billion-death risk

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has called for mandatory government safeguards and monitoring of artificial intelligence, warning that AI could enable events causing a billion deaths if misused by malicious actors. He urged US Congress and law enforcement to mandate oversight, rejecting self-regulation by AI companies. In an NBC interview aired Sunday, Gates said safeguards would add costs but not dramatically slow development. He dismissed President Trump's characterization of AI safety concerns as a "hoax," and argued China would also benefit from protections, contradicting claims that regulation would handicap US competitiveness. Gates stated an emergency "kill switch" alone is insufficient, advocating for continuous monitoring and activity recording of AI models. He compared the challenge of international AI agreements to Cold War nuclear negotiations, noting private-sector-driven AI development is advancing rapidly.