Gates warns AI could usher in history’s most turbulent era
Monday 31st August 2026 on 11:15 in
Estonia
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has warned that artificial intelligence will destroy jobs faster than the market can create new ones, potentially bringing the most turbulent period in history and an explosive army of unemployed people, ERR’s R2 Portaal reported in a commentary by Kristjan Port.
Port compares society’s response to technological progress with riding a bicycle: constant pedalling keeps it upright, but staying on course also requires knowing when to turn the handlebars. Schools traditionally teach students to follow established ideas and solutions, yet successful answers often come from people who recognise when to change direction.
A quotation commonly attributed to Albert Einstein says that life is like riding a bicycle and that balance requires constant movement. However, the article notes that Einstein never actually said it. The message itself is not false, but attributing it to a famous intellectual gives it additional credibility.
Gates attracted attention at the end of the summer with what the article describes as a significant shift in tone. He led Microsoft for 33 years as a ruthless capitalist toward competitors and has generally been a cheerful supporter of artificial intelligence.
After leaving his position as Microsoft’s leader in 2010, Gates pledged with investor Warren Buffett to donate his wealth to charitable causes. He promised that by the end of 2045 he would have donated 99 percent of his remaining fortune, including money for education.
The article says Gates is now calling for a more regulated and negotiated path rather than relying on classical free-market capitalism to find society’s next solution. He has warned that current decisions will determine whether the world becomes fairer or whether the divide between rich and poor grows to an unprecedented level. He has also said that efforts so far have been insufficient.
Gates’s concern stems from the impact of artificial intelligence, which many experts underestimate, according to the commentary.