Gates Pushes China, US for AI Bioweapon Safeguards

Bill Gates is pushing for a sit-down with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year. The Microsoft co-founder wants to pitch joint global rules on artificial intelligence, including safeguards against AI tools that could help craft biological weapons. His staff is arranging the visit for November, according to people familiar with the plans.

Gates told Reuters he thinks Beijing would back limits on dangerous AI models if Washington moved first. He pointed to China's existing steps to shield kids from addictive AI chatbots as a sign that common ground exists. The former richest man in the world met Xi three years ago and came away believing the Chinese leader might listen to blunt warnings about AI's downsides.

Those downsides, in Gates' view, now include AI systems that design harmful molecules or enable cyberattacks at scale. He has shifted from earlier optimism about the technology to sounding alarms about labor displacement, psychological dependence, and new forms of instability. In a long recent essay, he described the coming AI era as one of the most turbulent periods in history and said the world is unprepared.

Critics note that Gates has long favored sweeping international agreements on everything from vaccines to climate policy. His latest pitch arrives as China races ahead in AI development and maintains tight state control over its tech sector. American officials have already restricted exports of advanced chips to Beijing over national security fears, and lawmakers from both parties have warned that Chinese labs could turn AI toward military or covert uses.

Gates insists monitoring AI for biological threats would not slow useful progress. Yet past efforts at global tech governance have often left the United States at a disadvantage while rivals moved forward. China has shown little hesitation using technology for surveillance at home and influence operations abroad. Handing oversight of frontier AI capabilities to new international bodies risks giving adversaries a say over American innovation.

The timing of Gates' outreach also raises questions about elite priorities. While ordinary workers face job losses from AI automation and communities deal with rising screen addiction among young people, the focus remains on high-level summits and model regulations. Gates himself acknowledged that few world leaders are acting aggressively on the full range of AI harms beyond narrow child-protection rules in China.

Whether Xi agrees to the meeting or accepts the proposed framework remains unclear. Gates said the Chinese leader might be surprised by his intensity on the issue. For now, the push reflects a familiar pattern: a prominent American figure seeking cooperation with Beijing on technologies that could reshape power balances for decades.