Microsoft founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates predicted that artificial intelligence (AI) would make intelligence almost free. The 69-year-old Gates reaffirmed his firm belief that artificial intelligence will quickly advance healthcare and education, with tools like AI diagnostic assistants and tutors becoming standard.
Gates appears to be questioning accepted ideas at a time when the world is seeing AI advancements happen at breakneck speed, thereby igniting concerns about job displacement. He suggested that societies will need to rethink productivity and purpose in a post-scarcity era, saying, “Jobs are an artefact of the shortage… it’s hard to reprogramme your brain to imagine a future without that.”
At the most recent edition of Express Adda, the well-known philanthropist spoke with Anant Goenka, Executive Director at The Indian Express Group. Gates covered a wide range of subjects throughout the talk, including climate change, global cooperation, artificial intelligence, and India’s expanding role in innovation. Additionally, he praised India’s digital public infrastructure and offered suggestions for how other developing nations could profit from it.
There is more that emerged from this insightful discussion. He criticised China’s usage of coal while acknowledging its leadership in green technology. In the hopes that technology can bring forth a more just future, he promoted innovation-led solutions to global problems.
To what extent should we be concerned about AI?
“This is an extremely significant development that will eventually transform life,” Gates stated. He thought back to his involvement in the revolution that reduced the cost of computing. We have been doing the same for intelligence with AI, he continued.
AI will swiftly be implemented in healthcare and education, according to Gates. Although it was now resolving complicated issues, he pointed out that dependability was still a challenge. He claims that as dependability improves, AI will play a bigger role in areas like drug research, producing software, and even customer support. Intelligence will become almost free, he claimed.
“Intellect will be freely available.” Thus, you move from a lack of doctors or teachers to having as many highly qualified tutors who are supportive, individualised, and tailored to your needs as you need,” he said.
If knowledge and intelligence were to be free, Gates was then questioned about jobs.
“We weren’t made to work. An artefact of the shortage is jobs. He added that as we move away from jobs, we have “a lot more leisure time and it is almost a philosophical question about our purpose.” “It is actually very hard to imagine this future, because the whole system of markets, pricing, and education, all of that is based on creating the human intelligence to provide for a broad range of services,” he said.
Jobs will exist due of scarcity, according to Gates. In essence, he stated that the question of what gives us meaning will emerge. In response to the host’s question about whether AI will impede the roughly one billion Indians under 25 who will soon enter the workforce, Gates stated that society will produce more than ever before. “Not everyone will have to work in the same manner as they do now. How we use machines is up to us. “The entire way that we think about jobs will change,” he stated.
Developments in geopolitics
Gates has previously stated that international cooperation was the key to the world’s success in overcoming the COVID-19 epidemic. Two years later, though, the world appears to be in considerably more chaos, and international collaboration is more difficult to understand. Recognising the changing tides, he stated, “I believe the U.S. is going through a period of reconsidering its global role.”
“Eventually, I believe it will return to a more cooperative stance. In the meantime, this forces other countries to step up — and that’s not entirely bad. Despite the Ukraine war and unrest in the Middle East diverting resources away from the poorest, I remain optimistic,” he said.
Gates added that his establishment is about to launch a replenishment for the vaccine fund, which is the Gates Foundation’s most impactful endeavour ever. The foundation, according to him, has made significant progress in reducing child mortality. Gates predicted that in the next five years, funding for the poorest countries may dip. However, he is hopeful that the momentum will return owing to innovation and renewed commitment.
It will eventually return to a more cooperative position, in my opinion. This isn’t entirely bad because it forces other countries to stand up in the interim. Even though the crisis in the Middle East and the conflict in Ukraine are depriving the most vulnerable of resources, I remain optimistic,” he said.
According to Gates, his organisation is about to start replenishing the vaccine fund, which will be the biggest project the Gates Foundation has ever undertaken. According to him, the foundation has made significant progress in reducing child mortality. Over the next five years, Gates said, funding for the world’s poorest countries may decrease. However, he is hopeful that innovation and a renewed commitment will cause the pace to increase once again.
India deserves praise
Globally, climate change is bringing about major changes, and countries of all sizes are rushing to implement policies to stop the harm. The majority of emerging countries are juggling pressing economic issues with environmental objectives. Gates responded, “Developing countries have never promised big,” when asked if it was odd that they were exceeding developed ones in their climate pledges.