Gates: AI safeguards won't hurt US in China race

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said government safeguards against catastrophic artificial intelligence risks won't hamper the US in its competition with China, directly contradicting President Donald Trump's hands-off approach. Gates insisted all countries, including China, should support such safety measures. In an NBC interview, Gates rejected Trump's characterization of existential AI warnings as a hoax, arguing China would join safety efforts to avoid being attack targets. He suggested Trump might change his stance after hearing from tech leaders that safeguards don't handicap US innovation. Gates previously warned AI could cause "a billion deaths" and enable cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. He told NBC that a kill switch is insufficient, advocating for monitoring sophisticated models and recording their actions, with both the US and China participating in oversight.