Bill Gates: "Developing Future AI Personal Assistants Is Crucial... No Need to Rely on Google or Amazon Anymore"

"AI Personal Assistant Changes User Behavior"
Technology Development "Needs Time" for Practical Use

Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft (MS), warned on the 22nd (local time) that search engine companies like Google, which have entered the artificial intelligence (AI) technology competition, will become unnecessary if superior AI assistants emerge in the future. He analyzed that if AI assistants take over all tasks without people needing to access search engines directly, people's search habits themselves will disappear.

Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft [Photo by Reuters]

According to CNBC, Gates stated at an AI-related event held by Goldman Sachs and venture fund SV Angel in San Francisco, California, "Whoever wins in the AI personal assistant (Personal Agent·PA) market will achieve the most important victory," adding, "Once AI assistants exist, people will no longer visit search sites or productivity sites. They probably won't even go to Amazon."

He continued, "This AI assistant, which has not yet been developed, will be able to understand users' needs and habits and help them read documents even if they don't have time to read," emphasizing, "Whether it is a startup or big tech, the chances of winning the future AI market are fifty-fifty."

He continued to emphasize the positive functions of AI, saying, "(AI) will accelerate innovation in new drug development and lead to more advanced drug development," and "We are getting closer to developing treatments for Alzheimer's, and I believe human trials for new drugs will take place within 10 years."

He also likened AI technology to a 'game changer' that will have a significant impact on white-collar workers, and predicted that future humanoid robots with human-like appearances will also greatly affect blue-collar workers.

However, he assessed that it will still take time before AI assistants are actually developed. He said, "It will take time before AI assistants are actually used," adding, "Until then, companies will continue to integrate generative AI technologies like ChatGPT into their products."

Gates had previously emphasized last month that AI will play a major role in leading future society. He said AI will become a teacher that teaches children how to read and write, stating, "AI will have the ability to become as excellent a tutor as any human."

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

He added, "In just 18 months, AI will come in as a teacher's assistant to provide feedback on writing, and later it will enhance what we can do in math." He also evaluated that although AI currently lacks reasoning ability for complex mathematical calculations, this technology could improve within two years.

Gates also mentioned MS's investment in the AI technology competition. "I would have been very disappointed if MS had not entered the AI technology competition," he said, "but I was impressed by some startups like Inflection." Inflection is an AI startup co-founded by Mustafa Suleyman, a former executive of DeepMind, Alphabet's AI organization.

In fact, MS has been ahead in the AI leadership competition based on the technology of OpenAI, which it has invested in since 2019. After OpenAI's ChatGPT was released in November last year and sparked global interest, creating a generative AI craze, MS began integrating AI chatbots into its search engine Bing and productivity software MS365, seeking changes not only in search engine users but also in office environments as productivity tools.

Meanwhile, OpenAI, the actual leader in AI development, has been drawing attention by advocating the need for regulation amid concerns about the misuse of technology such as the spread of fake news. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, appeared at the first AI hearing held by the U.S. Congress on the 16th and mentioned the need for regulation and international organizations. On the same day, CEO Altman, along with co-founders Greg Brockman and Ilya Sutskever, posted an article titled "Governance of Superintelligence" on OpenAI's website, arguing that governments worldwide must coordinate to develop AI safely and that there should be an international organization similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.