In an interview with Fareed Zakaria, from CNN, this Tuesday (16), businessman Bill Gates predicted that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will make everyone's lives easier in the next five years.
The rise of AI has raised fears that the technology will eliminate millions of jobs around the world. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported this week that around 40% of jobs worldwide could be affected by the rise of AI.
Bill Gates doesn't necessarily disagree with that estimate, but he believes history shows that with each new technology comes fear and then new opportunities.
“As we had [com] agricultural productivity in 1900, people thought, 'Hey, what are people going to do?' In fact, a lot of new things, a lot of new job categories have been created, and we're much better off than when everyone was doing farm work,” Gates said during the interview. “That’s the way it will be.”
Bill Gates pointed out, in particular, a great help of AI for doctors' manual writing work, since it is “part of the work they don't like, we can do it quite efficiently”.
Since there is no need for “a lot of new hardware,” Gates said that access to AI will be done “through the phone or PC that you already have connected to the Internet connection that you already have.”
He also said the improvements with ChatGPT 4.0, from research lab OpenAI, have been “dramatic” because it can “essentially read and write,” so it’s “almost like having a white collar role to tutor, to give health advice.” , to help writing code, to help with technical support calls.”
He said incorporating this technology into the educational or medical sectors will be “fantastic.”
Microsoft, a company where Gates is still a shareholder, has a multibillion-dollar partnership with OpenAI.
“The goal of the Gates Foundation is to ensure that the delay between benefiting people in poor countries and reaching rich countries will make that time very short,” Gates told Zakaria. “After all, the shortage of doctors and teachers is much more acute in Africa than in the West.”
Giving up your wealth
Gates is worth US$140 billion (approximately R$700 billion), making him the fourth richest person on the planet, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. But he would probably be the richest person in the world if he hadn't committed to giving away all his money.
He told CNN he doesn't worry about losing his wealth.
“I have more than enough money for my own consumption,” Gates said when Zakaria asked how his philanthropic efforts are going. “I'm managing to move down the list and I'll be proud when I fall completely,” he reflected.
The Microsoft co-founder and his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, have pledged to donate the vast majority of their wealth to the foundation they established together 20 years ago, as well as other philanthropic endeavors.
In 2022, Gates announced the foundation's intention to donate $9 billion (approximately R$44 billion) annually by 2026. He said he is “excited that this will have such an impact” on the organizations he is donating to.
He said that he and partners such as Warren Buffett donated around US$100 billion (approximately R$500 billion) to his foundation. At a rate of $9 million a year, Gates predicts he will have given away all his money in about 20 years.
Source: CNN Brasil
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
