Bill Gates: AI drives the wave of cyber attacks
"When the world has bad guys, no protection measures, and then the latest AI models appear, that's when we will witness many unexpected negative developments in the coming year, mainly in the field of cybersecurity," Gates told CNN on October 11.
According to him, risks from AI such as the creation of biological weapons will "take many years" to occur. The threat of AI getting out of control is not yet possible, even though humanity must take control soon. Instead, he said that cybersecurity is the biggest "front".
"The most obvious area of volatility next year is cyberattacks, because there are known business models, what the threats are, and someone paying. It could also be the act of disrupting or changing something in the stock market, or influencing the outcome of some betting activities," Gates explained.
According to NYPost, Gates' warning was issued in the context of cybersecurity researchers continuously mentioning the risk of attacks "aided" by AI. For example, CrowdStrike's Global Threat Report earlier this year showed an 89% increase in AI attacks in 2025 compared to 2024.
Oliver Libby, a Democratic strategist, assessed that Bill Gates' message emphasized the challenge that US lawmakers are facing when it comes to maintaining growth and competition while also protecting safety. He called on the US government to take a coordinated regulatory approach to address security risks, while also preparing people to deal with the broader economic consequences of AI.
"The biggest challenge for both innovators and the US government in the coming months will be to balance the continued advancement of AI with smart management," Libby told Fox News.
Sau cảnh báo của Gates, trên X, CEO Microsoft Satya Nadella cũng kêu gọi cần phát triển hệ thống AI tiên tiến đi kèm cơ chế giám sát độc lập và khả năng cách ly. Ông cũng đề xuất nút "phanh khẩn cấp", cho phép người có thẩm quyền can thiệp, tạm dừng hoặc vô hiệu hóa mô hình ngay khi hệ thống đang vận hành.
According to Business Insider, Bill Gates used to be optimistic about AI, but changed his opinion this summer. In an article in August, he said that the world still has no plan to deploy safe AI.
"I believe we need time to prepare for the upcoming period of social, political and economic turmoil. If someone comes up with a credible plan to reduce the pace of global AI development, I will probably support it," he said at the time.
The Microsoft co-founder also assessed that governments around the world are not ready for AI and called for solidarity. "There are many movies about aliens coming, then the US, China and everyone miraculously solve the problem together. AI is similar to that alien intelligence. It is here, we should best act like in the movies," he told Reuters on September 15.
At the end of September, he continued to warn that AI could have terrible consequences if it fell into the wrong hands, calling for tighter government control.