Bill Gates predicts the ‘death’ of Google and Amazon because of AI

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Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates predicted the emergence of digital AI agents that will radically alter how people behave online. CNBC reports.

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“You will never again visit a search site, you will never visit a productivity site, you will never visit Amazon again,” he said, describing potential virtual assistants.

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According to Gates, an AI assistant yet to be developed will be able to understand a person\’s needs and habits.

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The billionaire could not predict who would win the race to create an AI agent. The chances for tech giants and startups are even, he added.

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“I would be disappointed if Microsoft did not get involved. But I am impressed by a couple of startups, including Inflection,” Gates said.

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The businessman believes it will take some time to develop such agents. In the meantime, companies will continue to embed generative technologies in their products, such as large-language models.

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The businessman also spoke about health-care efforts tied to his work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He said AI will accelerate innovations in space and lead to more advanced drug development.

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He said humanity is close to creating medicines to treat illnesses such as Alzheimer\’s disease. The first human trials of such medicines will take place in ten years, Gates predicted.

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The businessman also touched on generative AI. He believes the technology will have a substantial impact on office workers, and that robots could replace workers in manufacturing.

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“As we invent these robots, we must ensure that they do not develop Alzheimer\’s disease,” Gates joked.

\n\n\n\nIn March, the businessman named GPT as the most important discovery since 1980.\n\n\n\nIn April Gates criticized the idea of pausing research into large language models.