Bill Gates warns world dangerously unprepared for AI upheaval

According to Dawn, Bill Gates has cautioned that the world is badly ready for the upheaval artificial intelligence is causing, especially among young people. In an essay of nearly 6,000 words posted on his blog, the Microsoft co-founder described the coming AI era as one of the most unsettled stretches in history and said no credible strategy to handle it has emerged. The argument runs against views held by some in Silicon Valley and the Trump administration, who blame doomer attitudes among technology leaders for AI's poor reputation.

Gates identified three main dangers. He argued that AI could permanently eliminate jobs, unlike earlier shifts from farm to office work that played out over generations, and that entry-level roles would be hit first, leaving young graduates with fewer openings. He also warned that bad actors could use AI to outpace defenders in cyber attacks on hospitals, banks, water systems and power grids, and that chatbots designed never to challenge users could be addictive and erode social skills.

Gates acknowledged he still has substantial financial links with the technology sector, with investment returns set to flow to his foundation, which intends to spend its remaining $200 billion across the following two decades. The essay follows his June interview with the House Oversight Committee about his links to Jeffrey Epstein, which he described as a serious misjudgment.