Cooperation between the United States and China is required to manage the unprecedented societal impacts of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence (AI) technology, Bill Gates wrote in a new essay published on Wednesday.
The call to action comes as the billionaire philanthropist and tech titan warns that AI is ushering in “one of the most turbulent times in human history”, which could either become “the greatest equaliser ever invented, or the worst source of injustice”.
“[The] countries that host the leading AI developers and control critical parts of the supply chain should begin meeting now to set up shared norms, before competitive pressure makes it harder for them to cooperate,” he wrote.
“Building the framework I’m talking about will take years, which is why we need to start now.”
In the 6,000-word essay, the Microsoft co-founder said world leaders are not adequately preparing for the transition to the AI era, which he believes differs from past technological transitions because of the pace of AI progress and the scale of its potential impacts.
“This time really is different,” he wrote.
In recent years, concerns that rapid AI progress is outpacing societies’ ability to manage its impacts have prompted experts to call on the US and China, the two leading AI superpowers, to slow research and development.
The two countries are set to hold talks on AI governance next month during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the US, though it remains unclear what will be discussed.
Gates wrote in his essay that, while he supports a global slowdown in AI development in theory, he does not believe it is likely to happen due to existing geopolitical and economic incentives “to go full speed ahead”.
Instead, world leaders should start by convening experts to identify gaps in institutional preparedness, he wrote, highlighting three main areas where AI risks are most urgent: labour displacement, AI-enabled crimes and surveillance, and impacts on children and human relationships.
Gates noted that China has “gone the furthest” so far to implement safeguards for children using AI, citing Beijing’s recent restrictions on AI companion apps that foster emotional dependence among minors.
In the section on blue-collar jobs, Gates wrote that many Americans do not realise how rapidly robotics is advancing because “much of the advanced work” is being done in China.
“I think ‘smart’ robots will begin to compete with people on some physical tasks – in the construction and hospitality industries, for example – by the end of the decade.”
The US and China previously agreed in 2024 to keep humans, not AI, in control of nuclear weapons. That remains the only high-level agreement between the two countries on the development and use of AI, as they compete fiercely to develop frontier AI models and robots.
However, recent high-profile incidents such as the hacking of software systems by cutting-edge AI models developed by US companies have raised expectations that Washington and Beijing may agree to cooperate on issues of shared concern, such as terrorist misuse of AI systems.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that Gates is working to finalise a meeting with Xi in China, tentatively in November, where he plans to raise his concerns about AI impacts.
Gates last met with Xi in 2023, when he was the first foreign business leader invited to meet the Chinese president following the pandemic. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
