By Joke Kujenya
ARTIFICIAL INTELLINGENCE (AI) is ushering in a period of unprecedented disruption that could reshape work and society faster than previous technological breakthroughs, Bill Gates has warned.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that in an essay published on LinkedIn on August 26, titled “The turbulent AI era is here.
The choices we make now are critical,” Gates said AI differs fundamentally from earlier innovations because it does not require the lengthy adaptation periods that accompanied technologies such as the personal computer.
Writing in his personal capacity as chair of the Gates Foundation, the Microsoft co-founder said the personal computer took two decades to transform how people worked because of its cost, software development requirements and the need to retrain workers.
AI, he argued, has none of those limitations because it already operates on devices people own and can communicate in human language.
“We don’t have to adapt to it because it can adapt to us,” Gates wrote.
He said the consequences of the AI transition could be profound, arguing that the technology “will either be the greatest equalizer ever invented, or the worst source of injustice”.
Gates also said the outcome would depend on decisions being made now, adding that “right now, we are not preparing adequately for that transition.”
JKNewsMedia.com reports that the technology pioneer also acknowledged his financial ties to the industry he is assessing. He said his investment profits flow to the Foundation’s global equity work, while leaving readers to decide whether that relationship affects his analysis.
Gates also described a change in his own attitude towards technological progress. After spending his career seeking faster innovation, he said AI had complicated that outlook.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve wished innovation could happen faster,” he wrote. “With AI, my feelings are more complicated.”
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