MICROSOFT co-founder Bill Gates has warned that the transition to an economy driven by artificial intelligence could bring up to 20 years of disruption, as machines take over more human tasks and reshape the world of work.
Speaking on the Dekoder podcast in an interview published on Thursday, Gates said the shift would create winners and losers, with the effects reaching beyond employment to how people live and their role in society, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
“My big concern is this 20-year transition period, where you’re going to have winners and losers and a lot of things are disrupted,” said Gates, 70.
He cautioned that the timeframe was an estimate rather than a firm prediction, with the pace of change depending on technological advances and decisions about whether to slow development.
Gates said advances in AI and humanoid robotics could eventually allow machines to perform much of the work now done by humans, from building houses and farming to carrying out surgery.
While such advances could ease shortages of goods and services, they would also force societies to consider which tasks should remain in human hands.
Gates cited childcare, food preparation, art and sports as activities where people should retain a role.
He also highlighted AI’s potential to improve healthcare and agriculture, but warned that governments and societies were not adequately prepared for the speed of technological change.
Stronger government oversight and technical safeguards against cyberattacks and biological threats would be necessary, he said, arguing that AI companies could not be left to manage the risks on their own.
Even if the technology is managed well, Gates warned, the transition could prove one of the most turbulent periods in human history before society reaches a stage of greater abundance.
“I hate being the bearer of this news, but it’s even worse not to tell people this is coming. We have a choice as humanity in terms of how we shape this,” he said. – October 24, 2026
