Published August 26, 2026
The billionaire and co-founder of Microsoft has expressed concerns over the rapid growth of AI taking human jobs while urging governments to impose restrictions.
The philanthropist stressed that certain areas of the labour market should be marked as "human reserved” either to protect workers from losing their jobs or because humans are more effective at certain tasks.
Bill Gates expressed the ideas in a recent piece and alerted the politicians that they are not equipped enough to tackle the coming socio-economic fallout from the technology.
Gates penned a lengthy 6,000-word essay in a blog post shared on its officials portal, Gates Notes, on Wednesday, August 26, titled 'The turbulent AI era is here. The choices we make now are critical.’
“Even under the best circumstances, the transition to this new AI era will be one of the most turbulent times in human history,” wrote the Microsoft co-founder.
“Unfortunately…I don’t see evidence that leaders, experts and communities are confronting the challenges adequately,” said Bill Gates, sounding the alarm.
While foreseeing a flood of unemployment caused by the artificial intelligence, Gates said he planned to lobby for action with a message that sounds like a need of the hour.
“You have a chance to act now, before unemployment rises sharply, communities are hurting, and public trust has eroded.
"You can make sure that your government handles the problem holistically, rather than divvying it up into multiple bureaucratic fiefdoms
“You can make sure AI benefits everyone. And you can work with other governments to meet this national and global challenge.”
Bill Gates, whose net worth exceeds $100 billion, in a recent interview with Reuters, said he is preparing to meet Xi Jinping during Chinese president’s visit to the U.S. scheduled next month, raising concerns about the risks of AI.