Bill Gates worried about his job? Probably more theoretical, but according to the billionaire it would be possible. (Image: Spencer Lowell)
Advertisement
Microsoft founder Bill Gates talked to Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI (ChatGPT), about the potential of AI technology in an episode of his podcast “Unconfuse Me”.
During the conversation he expresses that he himself could perhaps be replaced by an AI. As an example, he cites the eradication of malaria, which an AI could soon manage better than himself, but more on that later.
Why is that important? Bill Gates is one of the richest people in the world. The fact that he also assumes that an AI could soon replace him illustrates how much this technology could impact our lives in the future.
Important: Just because AI takes over certain jobs could, that doesn't mean that it will happen that way. In the future it will probably mainly be about how to deal with AI in order to work more efficiently and/or less.
Advertisement
Back in December last year, Gates spoke about how we might soon be able to switch to a three-day week thanks to AI.
Link to YouTube content
Bill Gates initially underestimated AI
In the podcast episode, Gates and Altman addressed a variety of topics, including:
- GPT-5, the next step for ChatGPT
- Video creation in ChatGPT
- Superintelligent AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), i.e. AIs that are supposed to learn skills better or solve problems faster than humans.
Gates openly admits that he initially had major doubts about ChatGPT's capabilities:
»I was very skeptical. I didn’t expect ChatGPT to be this good.«
But he also admits that he didn't initially understand how language models process information.
That has now changed.
Bill Gates' job in danger?
During the conversation, he points out that AI could replace many jobs – including his own.
This statement is consistent with various assumptions and forecasts from various experts, such as: International Monetary Fundwhich reports that around 40 percent of all jobs worldwide could be affected by AI.
Gates gives an example from his work in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundationwhich deals with various humanitarian projects:
»I'm always amazed that I'm good at working to eradicate malaria, finding smart people and allocating resources to it […]. When the machine says to me, 'Bill, go play pickleball, I've got malaria eradication under control. “You're just a slow thinker,' then it's a philosophically confusing thing.”
He doesn't seem to be taking the matter too seriously yet. At least that's what his light-hearted and almost joking tone during the conversation suggests.
This could be mainly because the advantages could outweigh the disadvantages.
55:03
Unreal is just the beginning: Is there still a graphics future without AI?
In five years everything will be different
Bill Gates has made it clear in the pastthat AI will change most people's lives in the next five years. In an interview with CNN, he talks about how many things can change for the better.
He gave the example of doctors, who could be relieved of a lot of work just with the paperwork they have to do if an AI were to do it.
This would allow people to focus more on the part of their work that they enjoy most – and that's just one of countless examples.
However, you don't have to wait five years for AI to make your life easier. It's that easy now:
Good to know: Microsoft is in a multi-billion dollar partnership with OpenAI, while Bill Gates is still one of Microsoft's largest shareholders.
Accordingly, you should view any positive statements about the potential of ChatGPT and AI in general with a critical eye.