Global threats are like the elephants in the room: everyone knows they are there, but we prefer not to talk about them. Bill Gates, instead, decided to face them head on. In a conversazione with Patrick Collinson, the founder of Microsoft has identified four major challenges that await the new generations. But instead of limiting himself to painting apocalyptic scenarios, he has chosen to season the alarm with a dose of pragmatic optimism. An approach that, knowing the character, should not surprise us.
The voice of a prophet or a profiteer?
The founder of Microsoft He is a divisive figure. On the one hand, his supporters see him as a philanthropic visionary who has dedicated his fortune to noble causes. On the other, his critics paint him as a skilled manipulator who uses charity to extend his global influence.
It is no secret that his statements on global threats come from a position of enormous economic power and political influence. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation It is the largest private foundation in the world, with assets that allow it to influence health policies and government decisions.
“The pace of innovation is greater today than ever before,” he argues. Gates. A phrase that for some is a source of hope, for others an attempt to minimize the risks of technology.
Gates' Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
First of all, the nuclear threat. Interestingly, this is the only concern that Gates shared even as a young man. A fear that, with current geopolitical tensions, remains terribly current.
Then there is the climate change, a threat that he says requires an unprecedented global effort. The bioterrorism or a new pandemic complete the picture of "biological" threats. Finally, artificial intelligence uncontrolled, a topic on which Gates has spoken often.
A 2023 poll found that two-thirds of Americans believe AI could threaten civilization. They are not alone in this concern.
Artificial Intelligence: A Global Threat or an Opportunity?
On this point, the position of Gates is nuanced. On the one hand, it recognizes the risks of an AI out of control. On the other, it extols its positive potential, such as filling the shortage of experts in various fields.
Geoffrey Hinton, one of the fathers of AI who left Google in 2023, he is more pessimistic: the offer the possibility of an AI that represents an extinction-level event within five to twenty years. A vision that contrasts with Gates' moderate optimism.
“AI, over time, will make intelligence essentially free,” Gates says, leaving readers to decide whether this is an exciting or terrifying prospect.
A bright future (maybe)
Despite the global threats highlighted, Gates maintains a surprisingly optimistic outlook. It predicts significant progress against obesity, Alzheimer's, HIV, polio, measles and malaria.
Some see this optimism as a strategy to avoid alienating the public after listing apocalyptic scenarios. Others interpret it as a genuine belief that technological innovation can solve humanity's problems.
The billionaire suggests that the very awareness of these threats will push young people to take action to prevent them.
Global Threats, the Paradox of Constructive Alarmism
There is something paradoxical in the way Bill Gates presents these global threats. On the one hand he wants us to take them seriously, on the other he tells us not to worry too much.
He says young people may even “exaggerate the likelihood and perhaps the impact of some of these things to get people to make sure we avoid them.” A strategy some see as manipulative, others as pragmatic.
It occurs to me that perhaps the real message is not so much about the threats themselves, but about our ability to address them. Whether or not one agrees with Gates, one thing is certain: the future is not written, and this is probably the most important point of his message. Right?
