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“We’re all scared a bad guy could grab it” – Bill Gates on Artificial Intelligence

Bill Gates

Bill Gates

Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates has revealed his fears over AI being used by criminals, saying "we're all scared a bad guy could grab it."

Gates was speaking to Rebecca Jarvis of ABC News last week, when he shared his thoughts on recent advancements in AI.

He said regulators are behind in understanding the wide-ranging implications of using AI, and stressed if it gets into the wrong hands, it could be dangerous.

READ MORE: Jobs that could eventually be replaced by Artificial Intelligence

He said: "We're all scared that a bad guy could grab it.

"Let's say the bad guys get ahead of the good guys. Then something like cyber attacks, you know, could be driven by an A.I."

However, Gates revealed he does not agree with another billionaire - Tesla and Twitter boss Elon Musk - who is calling for AI development to be paused.

Musk recently signed a letter calling for a pause, along with thousands of other researchers, academics, and technology leaders.

Gates said: "If you just pause the good guys, and you don't pause everyone else, you're probably hurting yourself.

"You definitely want the good guys to have strong A.I. Can you guarantee that if you stop the good guys, you can guarantee it won't happen?"

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But in another interview, this time on Good Morning America, Gates revealed more concerns over AI tools being used to spread disinformation.

On the subject of the creation of fake images - by no means a new phenomenon - he said: "The reader, the viewer, every person has the responsibility to question.

"Society is going to start to say, 'OK, this source is more of a trusted source.'

"It's not like we can say, 'Hey, please stop making fake images.'"

Another voice urging caution over AI use is Geoffrey Hinton - known as the "Godfather of AI."

READ MORE: Elon Musk and others call for pause on AI development over potential risks to “society and humanity”

Speaking to Reuters, he said: "With climate change, it's very easy to recommend what you should do: You just stop burning carbon. "If you do that, eventually things will be OK. For this, it's not at all clear what you should do."

He stressed pausing AI development won't ever happen, saying: ""It's utterly unrealistic.

"I'm in the camp that thinks this is an existential risk, and it's close enough that we ought to be working very hard right now, and putting a lot of resources into figuring out what we can do about it."

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