Bill Gates Says Humans Won’t Be Needed for ‘Most Things’ in the AI Age

If you’re already concerned about job security, Microsoft founder Bill Gates might have some bad news for you. In a recent interview with Jimmy Fallon, Gates said that humans won’t be needed for “most things” in the coming age of AI.

“There will be some things we reserve for ourselves,” Gates said. “But in terms of making things and moving things and growing food, over time those will be basically solved problems.” In particular, Gates pointed out health care, mental health professions, and teaching as particularly ripe for disruption, saying that “a great doctor” or a “great teacher” will go from rare to “commonplace.”

However, Gates did highlight some career paths that might be safe.

“We won’t want to watch computers play baseball,” Gates told Fallon.

Gates’s predictions come as plenty of Americans are already worried about AI’s impact on their jobs; up to 86% of US employees fear that many people will lose their jobs to AI and automation, according to research from Forrester.

But regardless of Gates’ predictions, many people still seem reluctant to let AI become involved in certain industries like health care. A 2023 study by the Pew Research Center found that 60% of Americans had a negative reaction to the idea of health care professionals using AI to diagnose diseases, with 33% saying it would lead to worse outcomes.

However, Gates has a solid track record when it comes to AI predictions. Back in 2023, he pointed to the rise of AI agents, saying, “Agents will be able to help with virtually any activity and any area of life.” Just a few years later, the biggest players in the entire AI world—like Nvidia, Anthropic, ChatGPT firm OpenAI, and even Microsoft itself—are all rolling out AI agents and touting them as the next big thing.

Though he didn’t touch on it during the prime-time segment with Fallon, Gates has also touted some much darker predictions about the future of AI beyond just changing job roles. In a seven-page letter published in 2023, Gates said that powerful AIs “will probably be able to establish their own goals,” asking, “What happens if they conflict with humanity’s interests?”

Gates also delved into future AI risks in an interview with PCMag earlier this year, saying that as “we map our human strengths and weaknesses onto any new tools we get, AI is the scariest one of all.”

The Microsoft founder also touched on the potential environmental risks of artificial intelligence and highlighted how other game-changing inventions, such as the printing press, have been used for bad as well as good.

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About Will McCurdy

Contributor

I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.

I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.

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