Governments worldwide are way behind on AI, says Bill Gates

Bill Gates said governments must work together to avoid problems, likening the arrival of AI to a disaster movie.

Published Sep 15, 2026, 01:09 PM

Updated Sep 15, 2026, 01:09 PM

Bill Gates warns that no government is prepared for the societal changes AI will bring, highlighting risks to jobs, security, and addiction.

His foundation plans to spend over US$1 billion to expand AI access in education, healthcare, and agriculture, aiming to help the poorest.

Gates urges global cooperation on AI regulation, comparing AI's arrival to an urgent disaster scenario requiring unified action.

LONDON - No government in the world is ready for the changes artificial intelligence will bring to society, Bill Gates said in an interview with Reuters, as he warned of the risks ahead.

The Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist had until recently been optimistic about AI, but has changed his position, warning of the threats to jobs, concerns about attacks and the dangers of addiction to AI companions.

“I don’t think any government is nearly as deep on this as they have to be,” he said.

However, he added that the technology has great potential to help the world’s poorest if managed properly and accessed equally – and his namesake foundation said on Sept 15 that it plans to spend at least US$1 billion (S$1.27 billion) in the next two years on expanding access to AI.

Gates said he has been talking to world leaders about his concerns, including President Donald Trump and his team in the US, and said he aims to meet China’s President Xi Jinping later in 2026.

“Governments are way behind on this one,” he added.

But despite his concerns, Gates and his foundation hope AI can help narrow gaps between the richest and poorest, rather than widening them.

The foundation’s US$1 billion spending plan, part of its previously announced plans to spend US$9 billion annually, will go to partners working in education, healthcare and agriculture, the foundation said.

It also aims to help build the data foundations AI is built on, such as ensuring that large language models work in every language people speak.

“For health it’s hard to overstate what the potential is,” Gates said, from supporting frontline health care workers to discovering new drugs and vaccines.

But he said governments must work together to avoid problems, likening the arrival of AI to a disaster movie.

“There’s all sorts of movies where some aliens are coming, and magically the US and China and everybody comes together to solve the problem,” he said. “AI is kind of like this alien intelligence. It’s here, and we better do like it shows in those movies.”

In June, Gates appeared in front of Congress to testify about his relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Gates, who is not accused of any crimes, has repeatedly said he regrets his association with Epstein, who he hoped would donate to global health causes.

Instead, the financier attempted to blackmail Gates over his extramarital affairs.

However, despite prompting an external review at his foundation, which found no payments to Epstein or participation in criminal activities, Gates said the links had not caused him or the foundation a significant reputational hit.

“In terms of having access to government leaders, or you know, journalists being willing to interview me, I don’t see any diminishment,” he said, adding that the desire to draw on the foundation’s expertise to cut child deaths and end malaria had also not reduced “even one iota”. REUTERS

AI/artificial intelligence

Politics and government

比尔·盖茨表示，各国政府必须携手合作以避免出现问题，并将人工智能的到来比作一部灾难电影。

发布于 2026 年 9 月 15 日下午 1:09

更新于2026年9月15日下午1:09

比尔·盖茨警告说，没有任何政府能够为人工智能将带来的社会变革做好准备，并强调了人工智能对就业、安全和成瘾的风险。

他的基金会计划投入超过 10 亿美元，扩大人工智能在教育、医疗保健和农业领域的应用，旨在帮助最贫困的人群。

盖茨敦促全球在人工智能监管方面开展合作，将人工智能的出现比作一场需要采取统一行动的紧急灾难。

伦敦——比尔·盖茨在接受路透社采访时表示，世界上没有哪个政府为人工智能将给社会带来的变革做好准备，并警告说未来存在风险。

这位微软联合创始人兼亿万富翁慈善家直到最近还对人工智能持乐观态度，但现在他改变了立场，警告说人工智能会对就业构成威胁，令人担忧其可能遭受攻击，并存在对人工智能伴侣上瘾的危险。

“我认为任何一届政府在这方面都没有达到应有的深度，”他说。

但他补充说，如果管理得当，并且人人平等地享有，这项技术将有巨大的潜力帮助世界上最贫困的人——他的同名基金会在 9 月 15 日表示，计划在未来两年内至少投入 10 亿美元（12.7 亿新元）用于扩大人工智能的普及范围。

盖茨表示，他一直在与世界各国领导人谈论他的担忧，包括美国总统唐纳德·特朗普及其团队，并表示他计划在2026年晚些时候会见中国国家主席习近平。

“各国政府在这方面远远落后了，”他补充道。

尽管盖茨对此表示担忧，但他和他的基金会仍然希望人工智能能够帮助缩小贫富差距，而不是扩大差距。

该基金会表示，其10亿美元的支出计划（此前宣布的每年支出90亿美元计划的一部分）将用于支持在教育、医疗保健和农业领域工作的合作伙伴。

它还旨在帮助构建人工智能所依赖的数据基础，例如确保大型语言模型能够在人们所说的每一种语言中运行。

“就健康而言，其潜力怎么强调都不为过，”盖茨说，从支持一线医护人员到发现新药和疫苗。

但他表示，各国政府必须共同努力避免出现问题，并将人工智能的到来比作一部灾难电影。

“有很多电影都讲外星人入侵，然后神奇地，美国、中国以及其他国家团结起来解决问题，”他说。“人工智能有点像这种外星智能。它就在这里，我们最好像电影里演的那样采取行动。”

6月，盖茨出席国会听证会，就他与已故性犯罪者杰弗里·爱泼斯坦的关系作证。

盖茨并未被指控任何罪行，他曾多次表示后悔与爱泼斯坦交往，他原本希望爱泼斯坦能为全球健康事业捐款。

相反，这位金融家试图利用盖茨的婚外情来敲诈他。

然而，尽管促使他的基金会进行外部审查，结果发现没有向爱泼斯坦支付任何款项或参与任何犯罪活动，但盖茨表示，这些关联并没有对他或基金会的声誉造成重大打击。

“就接触政府领导人，或者记者愿意采访我而言，我感觉不到任何减少，”他说道，并补充说，利用基金会的专业知识来降低儿童死亡率和终结疟疾的愿望也“丝毫未减”。路透社

人工智能

政治与政府