Bill Gates says AI will need rules of the road

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, described Artificial Intelligence AI as revolutionary and said it will need rules of the road as it continues to develop.

Gates said in a Tuesday blog post that AI will change how people live and how industries and businesses operate. He said that its development was as important as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone. There were three areas where Gates claimed that AI could provide major benefits, including productivity, health care and education. He suggested that it could boost efficiencies and provide various forms of assistance in those areas.

He also believes that AI could help reduce inequality if it is targeted the right way, especially for health and education. Gates noted in his blog post that companies have been developing AI or adding features to their products that use it.

One area of AI - generative AI - has been the subject of attention in recent months due to the ChatGPT, a chatbot made by OpenAI that can respond to user questions and create other content on a wide range of topics. Google is going to launch its own Bard AI.

Some companies that have been bringing AI into their features include Salesforce making ChatGPT available for Slack, Spotify rolling out an AI DJ and Snap adding My AI. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, recently formed an AI-focused team that he said was focused on building creative and expressive tools in the short-term and developing AI personas that can help people in a variety of ways in the long-term.

While Gates praised AI, Microsoft co-founder also recognized as understandable and valid concerns and downsides to AI that some have pointed out.

According to the blog post, some of the issues about AIs included being inaccurate, experiencing so-called hallucinations and not picking up on context properly. Gates said technical issues can and are going to be addressed.

Gates suggested governments and private companies should work together to limit the risks of people using AI for bad purposes.

In the blog, Gates said there should be rules of the road so that any downsides of artificial intelligence are outweighed by its benefits, and everyone can enjoy them no matter their circumstances. He said earlier in the post that governments and philanthropies will have important parts in regards to that.

Gates concluded that the Age of AI is filled with opportunities and responsibilities.