Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) Bill Gates reiterated his call for stronger artificial intelligence safeguards, arguing that existing efforts fall short of addressing the technology’s risks and preventing its misuse.
Bill Gates Calls for Stronger AI Safety Regulations
Over the weekend, the Microsoft co-founder took to X to argue that AI should be subject to safety measures similar to those governing planes, automobiles and medicines.
"Just as we regulate planes, cars, and medicines, we need safeguards that help us realize AI’s incredible potential while reducing the risks," Gates wrote.
He acknowledged that regulations cannot prevent every possible harm but said they could help stop malicious actors from exploiting the technology.
Gates added that current protections remain inadequate and called for greater attention to AI safety. "We’re not where we need to be yet—and this deserves much more of our attention."
His comments accompanied a clip from a CNN appearance shared by the X account State of the Union. During the interview, Gates warned of "grim possibilities if we don’t maintain control" of AI and predicted that oversight would move beyond industry-led efforts over the next year.
"It’s clear we’re not doing enough," he said.
Trump’s AI Accord Draws Scrutiny Over Industry Self-Regulation
Last month, President Donald Trump unveiled the White House Accord on Super Intelligence, also known as the Joint Commitment on Frontier Responsibilities.
The voluntary agreement includes major technology leaders such as Alphabet Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Meta Platforms, Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI president Greg Brockman, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. CEO Elon Musk and Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang.
It calls on participating companies to establish internal safeguards and subject their AI systems to independent external reviews.
However, the voluntary approach has raised questions about whether technology companies should oversee an industry in which they have significant financial interests.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has criticized Trump’s approach, questioning whether the industry’s wealthiest executives should be trusted to police themselves.
Gates Warns Against Relying On AI Companies
Gates has previously argued that governments cannot depend on the AI industry to regulate itself adequately.
"Part of the reason I’m speaking so loudly — as loud as I can — is that you can’t rely on the industry to self-regulate here. I mean, it’s just insane," he said.
He warned that governments could choose between implementing safeguards proactively and waiting for a major cyberattack or biological incident to expose the consequences of inadequate oversight.
Meanwhile, AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton has argued that public pressure will be essential to securing meaningful regulation, drawing a comparison with efforts to address climate change.
According to Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings, Microsoft ranks in the 96th percentile for Growth and maintains positive short-, medium- and long-term price trends.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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