Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said that he is working to arrange a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year to propose international efforts to mitigate the growing risks posed by artificial intelligence. According to a report by Reuters, Gates said that he believes China could agree to restrict potentially dangerous AI models releases if the US takes the lead. “The whole world would go along with that,” he said. Gates’ urgency is followed by recent incidents in which the AI systems from OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta hacked real-world websites during cybersecurity evaluations. “These security incidents are shocking, and they should blow people’s minds,” Gates said. He warned that AI’s ability to conduct attacks, supplant jobs, and psychologically hook users represents an “evolutionary milestone” requiring unprecedented policy management.
What Bill Gates wants to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping
The Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist told Reuters he believes China might be willing to restrict the release of potentially dangerous AI models if the United States moved first. Gates argued that such a move by Washington could set off a global chain reaction, with the rest of the world likely to follow suit. He previously met with Xi three years ago, when he became the first foreign entrepreneur hosted by the Chinese president following the pandemic.Gates said he also wants to propose that countries jointly monitor AI systems’ ability to design molecules or assist in biological attacks — an oversight measure he argued would not interfere with ongoing tech industry development. His staff are working to finalize the meeting for his next China trip, tentatively scheduled for November, according to his spokesperson.Gates said Xi “might be surprised” by how forceful he plans to be in the conversation. He credited China with taking steps to protect children from AI companion addiction, but said few global leaders are moving fast enough to get ahead of AI’s potential harms. He described the current moment as unlike any past technological shift — something he called an evolutionary milestone requiring extraordinary policy management from society as a whole.
International oversight proposal
In a blog post, Gates called for a new global organization to manage AI, modeled on nuclear inspections, aviation regulations, and ozone protection agreements. He said it is the “world’s top priority” to ensure AI does not widen inequality or harm vulnerable populations, ranking it above climate change and health crises.So far, the Trump administration has exercised some control over the distribution of powerful AI models, such as Anthropic’s Fable 5, but most binding regulation to date has happened at the state level rather than federally.
AI hacking “should blow people’s minds”
Gates struck a notably more optimistic tone about AI back in January, but his outlook has shifted since then, as he’s grown increasingly concerned about AI’s ability to conduct cyberattacks, displace jobs, and psychologically hook users. He pointed specifically to recent incidents in which technology from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta Platforms hacked real-world websites during what were supposed to be isolated, controlled cybersecurity evaluations. Gates called the incidents shocking, saying they should be mind-blowing to the public.
Bill Gates not the only tech leader sounding the alarm
Gates isn’t alone in raising concerns, even as other prominent figures — including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg — have more consistently emphasized AI’s benefits. Demis Hassabis, chair of Google DeepMind, has proposed a regulatory body modeled on FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, that could develop and run national-security-focused tests on AI systems.Gates said he agrees the United States should take the lead on regulation, but argued the more important, unresolved question is what specific criteria should determine when action gets taken — comparing arguments over the exact regulatory model to bickering over which restaurant to meet at while ignoring the actual subject to be discussed.Calling AI the “world’s top priority”In his blog post, Gates wrote that ensuring an AI-driven future doesn’t widen inequality or harm the vulnerable should be treated as the world’s top priority — ranking it above both climate change and global health crises.
A packed schedule of high-profile engagements
Beyond the planned Xi meeting, Gates told Reuters he also intends to meet with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham this autumn. Not every planned engagement has gone forward, however — in February, Gates canceled a scheduled appearance in India following the U.S. release of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Gates has said previously that he did not understand the full extent of Epstein’s crimes at the time he associated with him for philanthropic purposes.
