WASHINGTON: Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has consistently warned the public about critical issues like climate disasters and devastating cyberattacks. However, he is most concerned about the threats of war and pandemics.
In an interview with CNBC Make It, Gates warned that current global tensions could potentially lead to “a major war,” and even if such a large-scale conflict is avoided, he anticipates “another pandemic, most likely within the next 25 years.” He stressed that the crucial factor during a future pandemic will be whether nations are better prepared than they were for the COVID-19 outbreak. Reflecting on the U.S. response, Gates remarked, “The country that the world looked to as a leader and a model fell short of those expectations.”
In his 2022 book, How to Prevent the Next Pandemic, Gates criticized governments for their inadequate preparedness in 2020 and proposed various improvements, including stronger quarantine protocols, enhanced disease surveillance, and greater investment in vaccine research and development.
Regarding COVID-19, Gates noted, “While some lessons have been learned from the coronavirus pandemic, the progress has been far less than I anticipated. We are still not thoroughly assessing what we did well and where we fell short. Hopefully, this will improve over the next five years, but it is quite surprising that it hasn’t already.”
Earlier, Gates also discussed the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) over the next five years. In a conversation with CNN, he emphasized that there is no need to fear this new technology, as it will offer new opportunities. This comes in the wake of comments from IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva, who noted that AI will impact 60 percent of jobs in advanced economies and 40 percent globally.
