AI to make medical advice, tutoring “free”, “commonplace” Microsoft co-founder says

Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, has predicted that within the next ten years, artificial intelligence (AI) will replace many human jobs, including those of doctors and teachers.

Gates explained that while human expertise is still rare, advances in AI will make specialized skills like medical advice and tutoring "free" and "commonplace," Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Gates described the future as one dominated by "free intelligence," a term he used to illustrate how AI will revolutionize various sectors.

"With AI, over the next decade, that will become free, commonplace — great medical advice, great tutoring," Gates stated.

He suggested that the rapid development of AI technologies will touch almost every aspect of life, from healthcare improvements to AI-powered education and virtual assistance.

Gates expressed both optimism and concern about the scale of these changes. "It’s very profound and even a little bit scary — because it’s happening very quickly, and there is no upper bound," he said. He recognized the immense potential of AI to drive innovations in medicine, climate change solutions, and education but acknowledged the unsettling pace of its progress.

The future of work in an AI-dominated world remains a topic of debate. While some experts believe AI will augment human work, enhancing efficiency and creating new opportunities, others, such as Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, caution that AI will significantly replace human labor across industries. Suleyman warned that AI tools will eventually “fundamentally labor replace,” leading to a "hugely destabilizing" impact on the workforce.

However, Gates remains optimistic about AI’s benefits, stressing that certain jobs may never be fully replaced by machines. He pointed out, for example, that tasks like playing baseball will likely always involve human participation. "There will be some things we reserve for ourselves," he said.

Despite these concerns, Gates continues to see AI as a “fantastic opportunity,” encouraging young entrepreneurs to explore the field. He revealed in a 2023 blog post that he believes AI will ultimately unlock solutions for some of humanity’s biggest challenges, including healthcare and environmental issues.

Looking back, Gates recognized that the AI revolution was coming, as far back as 2017, when he identified AI as a field of profound significance. He noted the rapid advancements in AI, citing Google's DeepMind's victory at the game of Go as a pivotal moment. By 2023, even Gates was surprised by the speed of AI’s progress, especially after OpenAI's achievement of developing a model that scored highly on a high school AP Biology exam in just a few months — a task he had initially expected would take years.

Gates' predictions emphasize the transformative impact AI will have in the coming decade, reshaping industries, jobs, and the very nature of human labor.

By Vafa Guliyeva