Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has predicted that artificial intelligence (AI) will make specialized knowledge widely accessible within the next decade.
He made this statement during a Bill Gates interview with comedian Jimmy Fallon on NBC’s The Tonight Show in February, where he discussed AI’s transformative potential.
Gates emphasized that while human expertise remains valuable today, AI will soon make specialized knowledge widely accessible.
He referred to this transformation as the advent of free intelligence, marking a major leap in AI-powered technology.
Gates highlighted AI’s potential to bridge gaps in healthcare and education by addressing global shortages of doctors and mental health professionals while acknowledging its disruptive impact and the existential questions it raises about the future of human labor.
“And with AI, over the next decade, that will become free, commonplace. You know, great medical advice, great tutoring. And it’s kind of profound because it solves all these specific problems.
Like, we don’t have enough doctors or, you know, mental health professionals. But it brings with it kind of so much change, you know, what will jobs be like? Should we, you know, just work, like, two or three days a week
I love the way it’ll drive innovation forward, but I think, you know, it’s a little bit unknown- It’s completely new territory,” he said.
AI’s impact on jobs
When asked whether humans would still be needed in an AI-driven world, Gates responded: “Not for most things. We’ll decide.”
- He cited activities like hosting talk shows and playing sports as areas that humans might choose to preserve. “We won’t want to watch computers play baseball,” he added.
- Despite concerns, Gates remains optimistic about AI’s potential to address global challenges.
“There will be some things we reserve for ourselves. But in terms of making things and moving things and growing food, over time those will be basically solved problems,” he told Fallon.
Innovations on health
Bill Gates, in the areas of healthcare and climate innovation, believes that advancements in medicine could soon eradicate major diseases.
“With some luck, in the next three or four years, polio could become the second disease in history to be completely eradicated,” he stated.
- On climate change, Gates emphasized the need for innovation rather than relying on consumer willingness to pay more for clean energy.
“The key is making green technology incredibly cheap—cheaper than fossil fuels. People should be willing to pay more for clean energy, but realistically, if you look at the whole world, most won’t. The real breakthrough will come when clean options become the obvious, cost-effective choice,” he explained.
Despite global challenges, he remains hopeful, pointing to the unseen pipeline of groundbreaking solutions in development.
