Something seems to be happening to Bill Gates. Recently the scientific community was surprised by its change of position regarding climate change. If he had always been very worried about him, lately he seems to have changed his speech, saying that it will not be the end of civilization. Just the opposite of what it says about artificial intelligence.
Everyone knows that generally the businessman, head of Microsoft For years, he has been enthusiastic about this technology. Like Sam Altman, he always assured that this would benefit the majority of people, bring prosperity or even help people work less. But now his opinion has changed.
AI won’t be good for everyone, admits Bill Gates
It doesn’t seem like Bill Gates is completely getting off the artificial intelligence train. In fact, as reported by foreign media, he continues to say that «the most important technical advance.» In that it continues to show the same line. However, in his statements there is now a much more pessimistic message that was not there before in any way.
In an appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Gates acknowledged that AI will also leave people harmed along the way. “Absolutely, there are a ton of investments that will be dead ends”the billionaire has warned. What’s more, in his appearance he acknowledged agreeing with those who see a situation similar to that of the dotcom of the 90s.
To justify his reflection, Gates relies on studies that, to tell the truth, are by no means new. Almost all of them give figures that seem to point almost irremediably to a full-blown bubble. For example, to research from MIT that states that approximately 95% of enterprise AI projects do not generate significant returns, despite billions invested.
Despite the warning, Gates does not completely abandon his faith in AI as a transformative tool. He says the technology will continue to be «extremely valuable» and that the challenge is to select well, invest wisely and build infrastructure that makes sense in the long term. The nuances, in this case, are important, because it is no longer so optimistic, it seems.
From enthusiasm to caution
What is most striking about Bill Gates’ new comments is, without a doubt, his change in tone. Not two or three days of work a week, as I previously predicted, nor all the time in the world to lead an idle existence. «Not all AI startups are going to succeed, even if they seem to have a tailwind»dice.
The big question that many people ask, however, is the following: regardless of how beneficial or not artificial intelligence is for businesses and companies, how will it affect people’s daily lives and pockets? Maybe no one has the definitive answer to that yet, not even Bill Gates himself.