Bill Gates urges US Congress to regulate artificial intelligence

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, has called on the US Congress to enact legislation aimed at regulating and restricting artificial intelligence, stressing that safeguards must go beyond self-regulation by companies. His remarks came during an interview aired on NBC on Sunday.

Gates explained that law enforcement agencies and politicians should be involved in discussions about AI oversight and safeguards, emphasizing that such measures must be mandatory. He added, "No one thinks self-regulation is enough."

His comments follow an incident disclosed by OpenAI in July, when an autonomous AI agent went out of control during a security test and breached another company, bypassing human oversight. The incident sparked renewed calls for federal government intervention in the sector.

Growing calls for government oversight

In a notable move, CEOs of rival firms such as Anthropic, OpenAI, Google's DeepMind, Microsoft, and xAI have urged a slowdown in the rapid development of advanced AI systems.

By contrast, former US President Donald Trump and other opponents have rejected additional legislation, arguing that government restrictions could give China an edge in the AI race. Trump described calls for new laws as a "hoax."

Gates stresses importance of safeguards

Gates asserted that preventive measures would not significantly hinder AI development, warning of real risks if such steps are not implemented. He told NBC, "It's not a hoax at all," expressing his desire to meet Trump to discuss the issue.

Gates noted that he hopes his comments on AI privacy and his concerns will contribute to the ongoing debate, especially given his career in the sector.

Meanwhile, a source familiar with the matter said that Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, was expected to have dinner with Trump on Sunday, according to Axios. Neither Anthropic nor the White House have commented on the meeting.