Bill Gates Once Warned That Computers Might Eventually Think On Their Own—But Admitted It Was A 'Scary Thought' And 'No One Knows When That Will Happen'

Back in 1995, Bill Gates appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, where he tried to explain what the internet was to the host, and seemingly predicted the emergence of AI.

What Happened: During their conversation, Letterman asked Gates about the value of the then-new internet. Gates described it as a space "where people are publishing information," noting, "everybody can have their own homepage… it’s wild what’s going on."

When Letterman pushed him to share what he thought the future of the computer might be, Gates said: "Eventually we may figure out how to make the computer think… that turns out to be a very tough problem… nobody knows when that’ll happen. Some people think it’ll never happen." When Letterman quipped, "We don’t want them to think, do we?" Gates responded, "Not really… it’s a scary thought."

See Also: Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt In 2016 Outlined A Playbook Predicting ChatGPT’s Rise — And A New Age Of $100 Billion AI Giants

Why It Matters: Although this conversation took place in 1995, before AI as we know it was developed, Gates' skepticism has persisted. Earlier this year, he listed improper development of AI as one of the critical challenges future generations will face, alongside nuclear war, bioterrorism and climate change.  

Last year, he highlighted a paradox at the heart of AI's unprecedented rise: while it promises to reduce the need for human effort and increase leisure time, it also raises questions about how humans use that time. He also emphasized the importance of regulatory oversight to prevent harm, such as biased results or dangerous misinformation.

In a recent television appearance, Gates pointed out that U.S. tariffs and tech restrictions have accelerated China’s move towards self-reliance, especially in chip development. He highlighted that with open-source tools accessible globally, no single country is likely to dominate AI.

Read Next: Bill Gates Announces Plan To Close The Gates Foundation, Says He’ll Give Away ‘Virtually All’ Of His Wealth Over The Next 20 Years

Image via Shutterstock