Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates warned Sunday that artificial intelligence could fuel a wave of cyberattacks over the next year, and said that malicious actors are gaining access to increasingly powerful AI models without adequate safeguards.Gates warned that criminals could exploit the latest AI technology to disrupt financial systems, extort businesses and carry out increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks."When you have bad people, no safeguards, and then the latest models, that's where, over the next year, primarily in the cyber area, we are going to have a lot of negative surprises," Gates said during a "State of the Union" interview with CNN's Jake Tapper.Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike reported an 89% increase in attacks by AI-enabled adversaries in 2025 and identified a suspected Chinese-speaking hacker who used AI-powered tools to target South Korean financial institutions.(Getty Images)BILL GATES WARNS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 'POWERFUL ENOUGH' TO CAUSE 'A BILLION DEATHS' IF UNCHECKEDDemocratic strategist Billy Oliver told Fox News Digital that Gates' warning underscores the challenge facing policymakers as artificial intelligence advances and the United States seeks to maintain its technological competitiveness."The great challenge both for innovators and governments in the coming months is to balance continued progress in AI with smart regulation.
Leaders who can balance ensuring that America is not left behind, but that no American is left out, will win public trust," Oliver said.Gates' warning comes as cybersecurity researchers report a sharp increase in AI-enabled threats. According to CrowdStrike's 2026 Global Threat Report, attacks by AI-enabled adversaries increased 89% year over year in 2025, while the average time for cybercriminals to move laterally through compromised networks fell to 29 minutes.Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates warned that cybercriminals could exploit advanced artificial intelligence to launch increasingly dangerous cyberattacks ...