Bill Gates issues stark warning about AI and the future of humanity
Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates sounded the alarm recently regarding how artificial intelligence will cause profound disruption in the labor market, warning that millions of jobs are at risk and there’s no plan yet to help those who will lose out.
Gates, now a philanthropist, said in an almost-6,000-word essay that the transition to the AI era will be one of the “most turbulent times in human history.” We are in a transition period, he insists, but so far he claims he hasn’t seen much that would suggest we are prepared for what he expects will be significant disruption to people’s lives.
“Unfortunately, right now we are not preparing for it,” he wrote. “I don’t see evidence that leaders, experts, and communities are confronting the challenges adequately. There is no plan to ease the entry into the AI era.”
There’s already plenty of evidence that the impact of AI has significantly affected the job market. Just this week, a Stanford University study discussed how the worst-hit area in the U.S. is entry-level jobs. In the U.K., the Guardian this week wrote that graduate job vacancies in the country have plunged to the lowest level in a decade.
