Bill Gates warns young people about 4 global threats

In addition to concerns about nuclear war, the Microsoft founder also pointed out that the uncontrolled development of artificial intelligence (AI) is also a great danger.

Despite concerns about AI, Bill Gates remains optimistic about the technology.

Bill Gates said that when he was young, the only thing he really worried about was nuclear war. However, he said that today's young generation faces many other challenges, including climate change, bioterrorism, the possibility of a new pandemic, and maintaining control over advanced AI.

According to a 2023 survey, two-thirds of Americans believe that AI could threaten civilization. One of the fathers of AI, Professor Geoffrey Hinton, has warned that an AI-induced extinction event could occur within the next five to 20 years. Hinton left Google in 2023 over concerns that AI was developing faster than expected and could become uncontrollable.

Bill Gates is not entirely against AI, however. He believes the technology can be used to solve social problems, such as filling gaps in healthcare and education. 'We have a shortage of healthcare professionals and teachers, and AI can help improve that situation,' the tech billionaire said.

Bill Gates believes that young people's response will help prevent apocalyptic threats.

Despite his somewhat pessimistic picture, Bill Gates remains optimistic about the future. He believes that if the younger generation can avoid the risks outlined above, they will have a bright future. The billionaire hopes that diseases such as obesity, Alzheimer's, HIV, polio, measles and malaria will be solved or completely eradicated thanks to the current pace of innovation.

Bill Gates also believes that fear of apocalyptic threats will motivate younger generations to take action to prevent them from happening. 'They will exaggerate the likelihood and impact of these threats to encourage people to act,' he said.

Bill Gates has previously expressed his views on a number of other issues, including that Intel is falling behind in chip design and manufacturing, although he also had praise for former CEO Pat Gelsinger.

Jessica Tanner

Update 03 March 2025