Bill Gates calls Trump's AI self‑regulation stance insane, warns industry
regulation
| Source: Moneywise · via Yahoo Finance | Original article
Bill Gates denounced President Trump's push for AI self‑regulation as insane and warned the industry after meeting with leading AI executives.
Bill Gates has publicly denounced President Donald Trump’s recent push for AI self‑regulation, calling the approach “insane” on a New York Times podcast. The criticism follows a meeting in which Trump sat down with several of the sector’s leading executives and left convinced that the industry can police itself. Gates, who has been vocal about the need for stronger oversight, warned that relying on voluntary safeguards is a “dangerous bet” given AI’s expanding cyber and biological risks.
Gates’ remarks echo concerns he raised in an interview we covered on 30 September, where he argued that market incentives alone cannot curb the existential threats posed by advanced AI. In the latest commentary, he reiterated the call for government action, even suggesting a “robot tax” to fund safety research and mitigate potential harms. He warned that unchecked AI development could lead to catastrophic outcomes, including the loss of billions of lives.
The clash highlights a growing rift between the White House’s preference for industry‑led standards and a coalition of technologists and philanthropists urging legislative intervention. Trump’s administration has so far dismissed calls for tighter rules, a stance that Gates says leaves the public exposed to “a billion deaths” if AI systems are left unchecked.
What to watch next: congressional committees are expected to hold hearings on AI governance in the coming weeks, and industry groups may respond with their own proposals for voluntary codes. Observers will also be looking for any shift in the administration’s tone, especially after Gates’ high‑profile rebuke, and whether the “robot tax” idea gains traction among policymakers.
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