He made the remarks during a television interview on September 27. In the interview with US television, 70-year-old Bill Gates said he would like to meet President Donald Trump to discuss AI.
Gates made the comments as Trump again opposed the idea of slowing the pace of progress in AI technology.
Gates said monitoring systems to regulate AI companies would not necessarily create difficulties in maintaining US leadership in the field compared with China.
He said Trump was right about the issue, but added that hearing from him and others that regulation would not be an obstacle could make the decision easier for the president.
Gates said that since World War II, the United States had taken a leading role whenever global challenges emerged, including aviation safety, the ozone layer and nuclear weapons.
He said AI is another area where the US should take a leading role.
According to the Microsoft co-founder, preventing AI-related risks and protecting humanity should not be considered an obstacle for the industry, and the risks associated with the technology are not simply rumors.
In a statement earlier this month, Gates had called for strong measures to prevent risks linked to AI. He warned that if AI falls into the wrong hands, it could pose a threat to billions of lives.
He also said some people could turn AI into weapons unlike anything seen before and called on governments to closely monitor the technology and introduce strict regulations.
In the new interview, Gates again said AI is powerful enough to potentially cause one billion deaths. According to Gates, no weapon in the past had the potential to be as powerful as this technology.
