Gates: Global AI rules harder to set than Cold War nuclear pacts

Bill Gates said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that reaching a global agreement on AI regulation will be more difficult than Cold War-era nuclear weapons negotiations, urging U.S. leadership in establishing safeguards. Gates argued that monitoring AI systems would not handicap the U.S. in its technological race with China, and he emphasized the immediate threat of bad actors using AI for cyberattacks or fraud. He also said a "kill switch" alone is insufficient, calling for internal monitoring and safeguards. Gates' remarks come amid heightened concerns from AI whistleblowers and CEOs about "superintelligence," and as President Trump has rejected federal guardrails. Gates also discussed his foundation's work expanding AI language access and called his past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein "regrettable."