Bill Gates urges US laws to regulate AI, citing risk of one billion deaths

Bill Gates said artificial intelligence could cause events leading to one billion deaths and called for federal laws to regulate the sector, arguing tech companies' self-regulation is insufficient. In an NBC "Meet the Press" interview, Gates described AI as an unprecedented weapon, citing risks from accessible cyberattacks to bioterrorism, and urged Congress to establish oversight rules, saying regulation would add burden but not dramatically slow innovation. The U.S. Congress has passed no AI legislation, unlike Europe's 2024 AI Act and California's 2025 law, leaving states to create patchwork rules. Microsoft, which invested over $13 billion in OpenAI, supports regulation despite its AI interests.