Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates sat down with Zerodha founder Nikhil Kamath for the debut episode of Kamath’s podcast series “People by WTF,” and talked for 30 minutes about his early Microsoft days to the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on various industries, particularly the field of software engineering. Gates expressed his belief that AI will not replace software engineers in the near future, despite its potential to revolutionise many sectors.
“The amazing thing about this technology is that we know it can help in key areas, and we know it can create educational tutors. We have seen several projects in India and the US that are showing great results. The potential is incredible if we knew that all it did was make jobs more productive,” Gates said, highlighting the positive impact AI can have on education and other crucial fields.
When asked about the concerns surrounding AI potentially taking away jobs from software engineers, Gates dismissed such worries as “alarmist.” He emphasised, “We still need those software engineers as we are not going to stop needing them.” This statement comes as a reassurance to those in the software engineering industry who may fear job displacement due to advancements in AI technology.
However, Gates did acknowledge the possibility of AI reaching a point where it could potentially replace all jobs, but he believes this scenario is unlikely to occur within the next two decades. “Although I am not sure of that,” he added with a smile, suggesting that predicting the long-term impact of AI is not an exact science.
“The amazing thing about this technology is that we know it can help in key areas, and we know it can create educational tutors. We have seen several projects in India and the US that are showing great results. The potential is incredible if we knew that all it did was make jobs more productive,” Gates said, highlighting the positive impact AI can have on education and other crucial fields.
When asked about the concerns surrounding AI potentially taking away jobs from software engineers, Gates dismissed such worries as “alarmist.” He emphasised, “We still need those software engineers as we are not going to stop needing them.” This statement comes as a reassurance to those in the software engineering industry who may fear job displacement due to advancements in AI technology.
However, Gates did acknowledge the possibility of AI reaching a point where it could potentially replace all jobs, but he believes this scenario is unlikely to occur within the next two decades. “Although I am not sure of that,” he added with a smile, suggesting that predicting the long-term impact of AI is not an exact science.
Bill Gates on his relationship with India
Gates fondly recalled his company’s early relationship with India, saying, “I’ve had a fabulous relationship with India starting with the Microsoft experience where we hired some very smart IT graduates, and brought them to Seattle.”
He praised current Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who is of Indian origin, and noted that while India is “first class in so many ways,” it still faces challenges such as poverty and a backlogged legal system. “Believe me, the legal things done in the US won’t apply here. But, just imagine, if you could make everybody in the legal system four times more productive, that changes justice because right now the backlog is kind of nightmarish,” Gates remarked.