Bill Gates Warns AI Could Kill a Billion People Without Regulation

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates warned that artificial intelligence could cause the death of one billion people, citing its potential as a powerful weapon in malicious hands, and urged legal regulation. In an NBC interview, Gates said AI is "certainly powerful enough" to drive events causing a billion deaths, though he noted hitting "100 percent" of humanity would be difficult. He called government oversight "absolutely" necessary, saying self-regulation is insufficient. His comments follow recent autonomous hacking attacks by AI software, which prompted leading labs like Anthropic and OpenAI to advocate slowing AI development.