Bill Gates says an AI ‘kill switch’ isn’t enough

Bill Gates said that requiring a “kill switch” alone for artificial intelligence would not be enough to prevent people from using the technology to carry out attacks as lawmakers debate how to regulate AI’s risks.

“The kill switch is, that’s kind of a weird thing. It’s not enough to have a kill switch,” the Microsoft co-founder said in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“We’re not yet at the point where they autonomously grab computers and, you know, can’t be shut down,” he said, adding that the public discussion “just sort of shows how nontechnical various people are.”

Gates said he was not opposed to a kill switch but argued that companies should monitor sophisticated AI models and keep records of “exactly what’s being done” to help guard against people using the systems for cyberattacks or bioterrorism.

“The United States ought to make sure this is done. China will want to do this,” he continued.

Gates’ comments come after Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) blocked fellow GOP Sen. John Neely Kennedy’s attempt to quickly pass legislation that would require AI companies to build a “kill switch” into their models.

Paul said senators needed more information before imposing rules across the economy and tried to amend Kennedy’s bill to establish a group that could make recommendations on AI guardrail policies to the Senate Commerce Committee — a suggestion the Louisiana Republican rejected.

Gates also called for legislation requiring safeguards and monitoring, saying voluntary measures by AI companies were insufficient.

“No one thinks self-regulation is enough,” he said.

He argued that the more immediate danger was people using AI to cause harm rather than AI systems acting on their own.

“The thing that’s urgent has to do with bad people using AI, not the AI going off on its own,” he added.