Bill Gates warns unregulated AI could kill a billion people

Bill Gates warned in an NBC News interview that artificial intelligence could, in a worst-case scenario, "cause the death of a billion people" due to its immense power and potential misuse by malicious actors, urging strong regulation within the coming months. Gates stated that no weapon has proven as powerful as advanced AI tools in the hands of ill-intentioned individuals, and he called for law enforcement and policymakers to mandate oversight mechanisms, adding that self-regulation will not suffice. His comments follow similar warnings from former Anthropic employee Jacob Coxon and align with ongoing "doomer" predictions about an AI apocalypse. The debate is unresolved, as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently urged international standards at the UN, while Meta's Mark Zuckerberg opposes mandatory coordination, arguing each lab should manage its own safety timeline.