Bill Gates Predicts Some People Will Reject A.I. for Amish Lifestyle

Bill Gates is looking into the future of artificial intelligence … and apparently, the Amish might have the right idea.

Speaking on The Verge’s “Decoder” podcast, the Microsoft cofounder suggested some people may eventually pump the brakes on A.I. … even as the technology becomes capable of doing practically everything for us.

Gates says people could literally decide to live “like the Amish” … using A.I. only for certain things while keeping jobs like childcare, cooking, art and sports in human hands … even if machines could do them better.

Gates also warns the next 20 years could bring massive disruption … with plenty of winners and losers as society adjusts to the technology.

But he also sees a potential payoff … a world where A.I. helps eliminate shortages and makes things like healthcare and food more accessible.

His comments come as Microsoft is reportedly offering buyouts to roughly 60,000 employees amid its massive A.I. push … a pretty striking development as Gates warns about the growing pains ahead.

As we previously reported, Gates has been sounding the alarm about A.I. for weeks … calling it the most dangerous technology humans have ever invented and warning it could even be used to cause a billion deaths.