Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned that artificial intelligence could fuel a surge in cyberattacks over the next year, raising concerns about the growing ability of malicious actors to exploit powerful AI systems without adequate safeguards.
Gates said the most immediate danger was not AI becoming uncontrollable on its own, but people deliberately using the technology for harmful purposes. He predicted that cyberattacks would be one of the areas where the consequences become most apparent in 2027.
In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, Gates identified cyber threats as the most likely source of major security challenges in the coming year.
“The front that we’ll probably see most dramatically in the next year is cyberattacks,” he said.
Gates Identifies Misuse of AI as Immediate Threat
Although Gates acknowledged concerns about AI eventually operating beyond human control, he argued that such a scenario remained years away from having the kind of major impact people fear.
Instead, he said the immediate challenge was preventing individuals with malicious intentions from accessing advanced AI tools without restrictions.
“The real danger right now is not the AI’s getting out of control. We need to work on that, but that’s years away in terms of the big impact that might have,” Gates said.
He warned that the removal of built-in safety protections could make powerful AI models particularly dangerous in the hands of bad actors.
“It’s really bad people using AI, particularly in AI where you can take out all the safeguards,” he said.
Gates called for stronger restrictions to prevent the technology from being exploited for serious threats, including bioterrorism and cyberattacks.
He cautioned that the combination of advanced AI models, malicious users and disabled safeguards could produce unexpected security incidents in the near future.
“But right now, you’re allowed to take all those safeguards out. So when you have bad people, no safeguards, and then the latest models, that’s where, over the next year, primarily in the cyber area, we are going to have a lot of negative surprises,” he told ABC News.
Microsoft Co-Founder Rejects Reliance on Voluntary AI Rules
Gates’ latest warning adds to concerns raised by prominent technology figures about the risks associated with the rapid development of artificial intelligence.
In August, he published a lengthy post warning that the world was poorly prepared for the disruption AI could cause, particularly in the employment sector.
During Sunday’s interview, Gates also challenged the argument that AI companies could adequately protect the public through voluntary self-regulation alone.
The position has been advocated by US President Donald Trump, but Gates argued that companies should not be the only institutions responsible for overseeing technology with potentially far-reaching consequences.
“The idea that for the most dangerous technology humans ever invented, that that’s the final word, that just the companies themselves are the only check that society has…it’s clear we’re not doing enough,” he said.
His comments highlight the growing debate over whether stronger oversight is needed to ensure that increasingly capable AI systems cannot easily be adapted for criminal activity.
Gates’ central message was that, while the possibility of AI becoming uncontrollable remains a longer-term concern, the misuse of existing systems presents a more immediate challenge that governments, technology companies and regulators must address.
