Gates warns unregulated AI could cause a billion deaths

Bill Gates warned in an interview aired Friday that artificial intelligence could cause "a billion deaths" if unregulated, calling for government oversight of the technology. The Microsoft co-founder told NBC that AI is powerful enough to drive catastrophic events, noting no weapon matches the combination of ill-intentioned people using advanced AI tools. He stated that self-regulation is insufficient and that law enforcement and politicians must define safeguards. His comments follow leading AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, agreeing to slow development after a series of high-profile hacking incidents, intensifying the global debate over AI regulation.