Bill Gates has warned that AI-powered cyberattacks could become a major security threat over the next year, arguing that governments and technology companies are not doing enough to prevent artificial intelligence from being misused.
In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, the Microsoft co-founder described AI as “the most dangerous technology humans ever invented” and called for stronger safeguards to prevent criminals and other malicious actors from exploiting increasingly capable systems.
Gates identified cyberattacks as the threat most likely to become more serious in the near future. “The front that we’ll probably see most dramatically in the next year is cyberattacks,” he said, warning that the growing capabilities of AI could create new opportunities for those seeking to cause harm.
He distinguished these immediate risks from concerns that AI could eventually become uncontrollable. Although he said the latter issue deserved attention, Gates argued that it was less likely to have a major impact in the coming years than the deliberate misuse of the technology.
“The real danger right now is not the AI’s getting out of control. We need to work on that, but that’s years away in terms of the big impact that might have,” he told CNN.
Instead, Gates pointed to the risk posed by people using advanced AI tools for malicious purposes, particularly when built-in safety measures can be removed or bypassed. He warned that access to powerful models without adequate safeguards could increase the danger of cyberattacks and potentially enable other serious threats, including bioterrorism.
“It’s really bad people using AI, particularly in AI where you can take out all the safeguards,” Gates said.
He added that the availability of advanced AI systems without those protections was a central concern. If malicious actors can access the latest models while avoiding their safety restrictions, the consequences could become more severe.
“But right now, you’re allowed to take all those safeguards out. So when you have bad people, no safeguards, and then the latest models, that’s where, over the next year, primarily in the cyber area, we are going to have a lot of negative surprises,” he told CNN.
Gates’ warning follows a lengthy post he published in August in which he argued that the world was dangerously unprepared for the disruption AI could bring, particularly to employment. His latest comments add to a growing debate over how governments, technology developers and other institutions should manage the risks associated with increasingly powerful AI systems.
The Microsoft co-founder also challenged the argument that technology companies should be allowed to regulate themselves. Responding to the position advocated by US President Donald Trump that AI companies could rely on self-regulation, Gates said voluntary safeguards were not enough to protect the public from the technology’s most serious risks.
“The idea that for the most dangerous technology humans ever invented, that that’s the final word, that just the companies themselves are the only check that society has…it’s clear we’re not doing enough,” he said.
His remarks highlight a central question in the debate over AI governance: whether the companies developing advanced systems should be responsible for setting their own limits or whether governments need to establish stronger rules. Gates’ immediate concern is that gaps in existing safeguards could give malicious actors greater opportunities to exploit AI before effective protections are in place.
