David Sacks challenges Bill Gates' claim that AI could cause a billion deaths

Former White House AI czar and venture capitalist David Sacks publicly challenged Bill Gates' assertion that artificial intelligence could become powerful enough to trigger events resulting in a billion deaths. Sacks shared clips of Gates' remarks on X, demanding factual support for such a death toll and asking how the United States could prevent Chinese AI models from achieving similar capabilities. Gates, during an interview on a journalist at one outlet the Press, warned that AI can already assist bioterrorists and facilitate cyberattacks capable of massive disruption, and urged Congress to enact mandatory federal regulations, though he did not reference a particular bill.

In a separate appearance on the Ezra Klein Show, Gates dismissed the notion that product liability or reputational risk would suffice to curb dangerous AI, noting that the technology has already crossed both cyber and bio thresholds. The debate underscores the intensifying competition between the U.S. and China in the race for advanced AI and the policy disagreements over how to manage its risks.