Bill Gates identifies four major concerns for the younger generation: climate change, bioterrorism/pandemics, controlling AI, and societal polarization. He emphasizes these risks in an interview, highlighting their potential severity.
While acknowledging concerns about AI's potential for harm, Gates believes it could be a valuable tool in addressing various shortages, such as medical experts and educational resources. He suggests that AI could eventually make intelligence freely accessible.
Gates believes that these global threats, while frightening, should serve as catalysts for positive action. He suggests that fear, when properly channeled, can motivate young people to address these challenges and shape a better future.
Despite the challenges, Gates remains optimistic about the future, believing significant advancements in areas like medicine will improve the overall quality of life, provided the identified threats are proactively addressed.
Bill Gates says that if he were young again, he'd be afraid of more than just the atom bomb.
"There's, you know, about four or five things that are very scary, and the only one that I really understood and worried about a lot when I was young was nuclear war," Gates said in an interview with Patrick Collison.
Gates, the founder of Microsoft and chair of the Gates Foundation, shared his perspective on the evolving risks facing society.
"Today I think we'd add climate change, bioterrorism/pandemic, and keeping control of AI in some form," Gates said. "So, you know, now we have four footnotes."
Gates also described social polarization as a problem, later adding, "The younger generation has to be very afraid of those things."
This isn't the first time Gates has identified these areas of concern. In a blog post in 2023, Gates said that as his family grew, so did his desire to better the world.
"A grandchild does make you think about how we make sure the future is better — politics, health, climate, etc.," he wrote.
Gates argued that society is suffering from a dearth of intelligence. But he believes AI could present a solution rather than a problem. Though some have warned of AI's cataclysmic potential, Gates thinks it could be harnessed productively.
"We don't have as many medical experts, you know, people who can stay on top of everything, or people who can do math tutoring in the inner city," Gates said. "And we have a shortage of intelligence, and so we use this market system to kind of allocate it. AI, over time — and people can argue about the time frames — will make intelligence essentially free."
Despite the challenges, Gates said he still expects the citizens of the future to be largely better off — if they address the risks.
"Absent not solving some of these big problems, things are going to be so much better off," Gates said. "Alzheimer's, obesity, you know, we'll have a cure for HIV, we will have gotten rid of polio, measles, malaria. The pace of innovation is greater today than ever."
While fear can often act as a paralytic, Gates believes it could be a galvanizing force for younger generations.
"They'll actually, to some degree, exaggerate the likelihood and maybe the impact of some of those things in order to activate people to make sure we steer clear of those things," he said.
If you often open multiple tabs and struggle to keep track of them, Tabs Reminder is the solution you need. Tabs Reminder lets you set reminders for tabs so you can close them and get notified about them later. Never lose track of important tabs again with Tabs Reminder!
Try our Chrome extension today!
Share this article with your
friends and colleagues.
Earn points from views and
referrals who sign up.
Learn more