By COMFORT OGBONNA
Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates is seeking a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year as he pushes for international cooperation to address what he considers the increasingly serious risks posed by artificial intelligence.
Gates is expected to travel to China in November, and his staff are working to arrange a meeting with Xi, according to a spokesperson. The proposed discussion would focus on ways governments can work together to prevent some of the most dangerous potential uses of advanced AI while allowing the technology to continue developing.
Gates said he believes China could be willing to support restrictions on the release of potentially dangerous AI models if the United States takes the lead in establishing such measures.
He argued that an agreement between the world’s two largest economic powers could encourage other countries to participate in a broader international framework for managing AI risks.
Gates previously met Xi in Beijing in 2023, becoming one of the first foreign business leaders to meet the Chinese president following the pandemic.
This time, Gates said he intends to raise concerns that go beyond the immediate economic effects of artificial intelligence. He wants governments to establish systems for monitoring whether AI becomes capable of designing dangerous biological molecules or assisting in biological attacks.
Such safeguards, he argued, could be developed without unnecessarily restricting legitimate technological research or preventing companies from advancing AI for productive purposes.
Gates has become increasingly vocal about the need for stronger oversight as AI systems grow more capable. While he has previously emphasized the technology’s potential to improve medicine, education and productivity, he now says the pace of development requires governments to address potential dangers much earlier.
He believes AI represents a major technological turning point unlike previous waves of innovation.
Gates has expressed particular concern about the possibility that increasingly autonomous AI systems could be used to conduct cyberattacks, manipulate people psychologically or contribute to other forms of harm.
Recent incidents involving advanced AI systems have reinforced those concerns. Some AI technologies have demonstrated the ability to interact with real-world websites and computer systems during cybersecurity testing, raising questions about how easily increasingly capable models could be turned toward malicious activities.
Gates said such incidents should serve as a warning that governments and technology companies cannot assume AI risks will remain theoretical.
In a blog post published Wednesday, Gates called for the creation of a new international organization dedicated to overseeing artificial intelligence. He suggested that such an institution could draw lessons from existing international systems created to address nuclear weapons, aviation safety and environmental threats.
The proposed framework would be aimed at encouraging countries to establish common standards for evaluating advanced AI systems and monitoring potentially dangerous capabilities.
One area of particular concern is the ability of AI models to assist with biological research. Gates has argued that governments should monitor whether increasingly powerful systems can generate information or designs that could be used to create harmful biological agents.
He said such monitoring could be targeted specifically at dangerous capabilities rather than broadly restricting the development of AI technology.
Gates also pointed to concerns about AI’s growing influence over people’s behavior. He has expressed particular interest in the potential for AI-powered companion systems to encourage psychological dependence, especially among children and young people.
He said China has taken steps to address concerns surrounding children’s interaction with AI companions, while arguing that governments around the world need to do more to anticipate the technology’s social consequences.
The broader challenge for policymakers is finding a balance between innovation and safety.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming integrated into workplaces, software, education, scientific research and consumer products. Governments are under pressure to establish rules without slowing technological development or allowing competing countries to gain an advantage by moving more quickly.
In the United States, efforts to regulate AI have developed through a combination of federal actions, industry initiatives and state-level legislation. The approach has remained unsettled as policymakers debate how much authority the federal government should have over increasingly powerful AI systems.
Gates believes international cooperation will ultimately be necessary because AI systems and the companies developing them operate across national borders.
A restriction adopted by one country could have limited effectiveness if developers or users can simply move their activities elsewhere. Likewise, security standards imposed by one government may not protect the public if other countries do not adopt similar safeguards.
That is why Gates is seeking discussions with both American and Chinese officials, despite the broader tensions between Washington and Beijing over technology, trade and national security.
China’s foreign ministry had not immediately commented on Gates’ proposed meeting.
The planned discussion with Xi could therefore become an important opportunity to explore whether the United States and China can cooperate in an area where both countries are simultaneously competing for technological leadership.
Gates has argued that governments should not wait until AI systems become significantly more powerful before establishing safeguards.
He believes society is facing a technological development with consequences broad enough to require cooperation among governments, scientists, technology companies and international organizations.
The proposed meeting with Xi reflects that broader effort. Gates is seeking to persuade policymakers that advanced AI should be treated not only as an economic opportunity but also as a technology capable of creating new security, biological and social risks.
As AI development accelerates, the debate over how much oversight is necessary is likely to become increasingly important. For Gates, the priority is to establish international safeguards before the technology reaches a point where governments are forced to respond to serious consequences after they have already occurred.
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