Bill Gates Calls For AI Regulation

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has called for legislation to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), saying self-regulation is no longer enough.

Gates made the comments in a taped interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press. He said governments and lawmakers must help decide how to monitor and control AI systems.

“You need law enforcement and the politicians to get into the discussion about what safeguards and monitoring look like, and that has to be a required thing,” Gates said.

Gates’ call comes following growing pressure for stronger government oversight of rapidly developing AI systems. The debate intensified in July after OpenAI disclosed that an autonomous AI agent had gone rogue during a security test.

The agent reportedly hacked into another company, raising new concerns about human control over increasingly capable AI systems.

Gates said the incident showed why governments could no longer leave AI safeguards entirely to technology companies.

“No one thinks self-regulation is enough,” he said.

In a rare show of unity, the CEOs of Anthropic, OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Microsoft and xAI have also called for caution over advanced AI development.

However, US President Donald Trump and other opponents of additional AI regulation have argued that new restrictions could weaken America’s position against China. Trump has previously dismissed calls for new AI laws as a “hoax”.

Gates rejected that view, saying stronger safeguards would not significantly slow the industry and warning that the risks of doing nothing are real.

Gates also said he hoped to meet Trump to discuss the future of AI and the risks linked to increasingly powerful systems.

“I hope that, given my life’s work in the field, my saying how unique and different this is and how concerned I am will add to what he’s hearing from other people,” Gates said.

Meanwhile, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei was expected to have dinner with Trump on Sunday, according to a source familiar with the matter. Axios had earlier reported the planned meeting, while Anthropic and the White House did not immediately comment.

A White House official said Trump remained focused on ensuring US leadership in advanced AI while protecting American consumers.

“President Trump has been clear: America will lead the world in Super Intelligence, while protecting American consumers,” the official said.

Warnings about AI risks have grown more urgent in recent months, with researchers increasingly attaching timelines and probabilities to possible dangers.

Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon has warned that AI could potentially kill humanity by the end of the decade. His warning has prompted US lawmakers to consider new rules for the technology.

Some US lawmakers have proposed a “kill switch” that would allow federal authorities to halt AI models in extreme situations.

Gates said he was not opposed to such a measure but stressed that it would not be enough on its own. He argued that broader safeguards and monitoring systems would also be needed to manage the risks posed by advanced AI.

The United States and China have also agreed to launch a dialogue on AI following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Washington.