Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates is famously optimistic about artificial intelligence and his promise to accelerate innovation. He considers AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot as one of two truly revolutionary technologies (another example is with graphical user interfaces or digital icons and buttons in computing).
Now, Gates says that “the age of AI has begun” and that it will not only improve productivity but also help solve social problems like inequality. He thinks the technology can free up resources and improve access to health care and education in countries that lack it if governments and charities put in place the right policies. and direct funding where it is needed most.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about how AI can reduce some of the worst inequalities in the world,” Gates wrote in an article. blog post. “For one thing, they will help healthcare workers make the most of their time by taking on certain tasks for them—things like filing claims, handling paperwork and compose notes when you go to the doctor.”
Gates points out that some developing countries struggle to attract enough doctors, which often exacerbates inequality between the rich and the disadvantaged. He said: “If every healthcare professional had access to AI tools to better advise patients on how best to act, more people in need could be served.” . Meanwhile, in education, AI can aid in training students and help them get higher test scores.
Gates said setting up such systems will take years of experimentation and a sustained effort by governments, charities and businesses for AI to be part of the solution rather than exacerbating the problem. subject. That way, everyone can access the benefits, not just the well-to-do who can afford such technologies.
“Governments and charities will need to play an important role in ensuring that it reduces inequality and does not contribute to it. This is a priority for my own work related to AI,” Gates wrote.
AI’s potential to solve problems affecting entire countries and communities comes with its own unique threats, and Gates admits the technology is still limited.
“People will need to see evidence that health AIs are beneficial overall, although they will not be perfect and will make mistakes,” Gates wrote. “AIs have to be tested very carefully and properly regulated, which means they will take longer to be accepted than in other fields.”
AI can sometimes fumble or hallucinate by returning inaccurate or fictional information, he said, and become a threat in the hands of those who abuse it. Then, of course, there’s the possibility that the AI will go wild and become a threat to humans.
Despite these risks, Gates still believes that AI technology has huge potential.
“Whole industries will reorient around it. Businesses will differentiate themselves by how well they use it,” he wrote.
The billionaire philanthropist has long been an advocate of AI and advocates that its benefits far outweigh its dangers. For one, Mr can’t see AI as a threat to the job. If it does, it could improve the way people work by increasing efficiency, he said.
As the man who helped initiate the computer revolution half a century ago, the revolution has raised similar concerns about killing jobs, he said. develop is “everything is as important as a PC, like the internet.” This early year, in a Reddit During the Ask Me Anything session, he introduced AI as a tool that “gives a glimpse of what’s to come.”
It’s normal for people to raise concerns about any revolutionary technology, Gates said, but he added that AI is just one such example and it can be used to achieve real change.
