Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, stated in an interview with The Verge that society should prepare for a twenty-year period of disruptive change driven by artificial intelligence. He warned that this transition could lead to social divisions between those who embrace new technologies and those who reject them.
Gates noted that AI has demonstrated significant progress over the past year, including capabilities in coding, identifying network vulnerabilities, biological reasoning, and impacting the labor market. He emphasized that the current power of these tools necessitates proactive social preparation.
During this transition, Gates expects a reduction in resource shortages, though he anticipates a period of volatility with both winners and losers. He suggested that once this phase passes, society could enter an era of prosperity, provided that humanity learns to manage the new tools effectively.
The future landscape may include robots capable of building houses, growing food, and performing surgeries, potentially reducing the need for human labor in most goods and services. Gates noted that the exact timeline for these breakthroughs remains uncertain, with estimates for humanoid robot development ranging from two to eight years.
