Bill Gates becomes the latest tech leader to say pausing AI is not a practical idea

Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates responded to calls made last week to pause the development of artificial intelligence, saying it would not “solve the challenges ahead,” in an interview with Reuters.

Last Tuesday, the Future of Life Institute published an open letter calling for a six-month pause on training AI systems “more powerful” than OpenAI’s leading GPT-4 service, which can carry human-like conversations. The letter was signed by Twitter CEO Elon Musk, Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, and over 1,000 other AI experts, arguing that we should only develop powerful AI systems after we know more about the risks and benefits associated with such developments.

But Gates said he thinks any pause is impractical in his first public comments since the letter came out.

“I don’t think asking one particular group to pause solves the challenges,” the billionaire told Reuters, noting that there are clearly benefits to the new technology. Microsoft has multibillion dollar investments in ChatGPT owner OpenAI.

He also said he doesn’t understand how the details of such a pause would work.

“I don’t really understand who they’re saying could stop, and would every country in the world agree to stop, and why to stop,” he said. “But there are a lot of different opinions in this area.”

Instead, Gates suggested that people focus on how to best use the developments and “identify the tricky areas.”

The Microsoft cofounder has been open in the past about his support for AI, including in a blog post published a day before the open letter in which he called AI “the most important advance in technology since the graphical user interface.”

He also explored the uses of AI to reduce inequities, adding that using AI to help health problems affecting “the poorest people in the world” will be one of the Gates Foundation’s priorities moving forward.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90876248/bill-gates-microsoft-ai-pause-impractical-idea-chatgpt?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss

Établi 2y | 4 avr. 2023, 20:20:59


Connectez-vous pour ajouter un commentaire

Autres messages de ce groupe

These geeks are building an early warning system for disappearing government data

To a certain brand of policy wonk, January 31, 2025, is a day that will live in infamy. 

It had been nearly two weeks since President Donald Trump took office for the second time—days th

2 juil. 2025, 13:20:06 | Fast company - tech
‘Creatives are going to be elevated’: Canva’s COO on how AI is transforming the artistic landscape

For over a decade, Canva has made design and publishing accessible to anyone. Now the company is wrestling with how to harness

2 juil. 2025, 13:20:04 | Fast company - tech
I quit TikTok—and got my attention span back

For a few days, my finger would hover over the TikTok hole on my home screen. But

2 juil. 2025, 10:50:08 | Fast company - tech
‘Bakery tourism’ is the sweet new travel trend for Gen Z and food lovers

How far would you travel in search of a sweet treat?

“Bakery tourism” is on the rise, with more and more people traveling—sometimes across the globe—in search of the perfect flaky croiss

2 juil. 2025, 10:50:06 | Fast company - tech
AI chatbots are breaking the web—and forcing a 404 makeover

More than half of Americans now use a chatbot, with an increasing number of people replacing search engines w

2 juil. 2025, 10:50:05 | Fast company - tech
What is the ‘pearl earring theory’? The TikTok trend blaming jewelry for being single

“Girl With a Pearl Earring” has taken on a new meaning on social media.

TikT

1 juil. 2025, 21:10:02 | Fast company - tech