Signal Bill Gates warns AI could be used to trigger a billion deaths, urges regulation

Summary

Bill Gates said that artificial intelligence is powerful enough to cause catastrophic harm. He warned that malicious actors could use advanced AI tools to trigger events resulting in a billion deaths. He called for government regulation, law enforcement involvement and political oversight, saying voluntary safeguards by AI companies are not sufficient. The comments were released as a preview of an interview scheduled to air on NBC's Meet the Press program. The report notes that Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has also advocated stronger standards and government involvement in AI safety, while President Donald Trump has publicly resisted additional AI guardrails. Congress has not passed major federal AI legislation, and the comments come ahead of a planned meeting between Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and AI executives.