Bill Gates claims AI will eliminate two critical professions
In this DML Report…
Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder, predicted on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” in February 2025 that within a decade, artificial intelligence (AI) will replace many doctors and teachers, making humans unnecessary for most tasks. Speaking to Jimmy Fallon, Gates highlighted that expertise from “great doctors” and “great teachers” is currently rare, but AI will soon provide free, widespread medical advice and tutoring. He described this shift as a new era of “free intelligence,” a term he expanded on in a prior interview with Harvard’s Arthur Brooks, noting AI’s rapid advancements will touch medicine, education, and virtual assistance by 2035.
Gates pointed to AI’s milestones, like OpenAI’s model acing an AP Biology exam in months—faster than his expected two-to-three-year timeline—calling it the biggest tech leap since the 1980 graphical user interface. He acknowledged risks, such as errors and misinformation in current AI systems, but remains optimistic, telling CNBC in September 2024 that he’d start an AI-centric company if beginning anew, urging young innovators at Microsoft and OpenAI to lead the charge. While some experts argue AI will boost efficiency and create jobs, others, including Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, warn of a “hugely destabilizing” impact on employment.
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The billionaire sees AI solving practical issues like manufacturing, transportation, and food production, though he told Fallon that human activities like baseball will likely stay beyond AI’s reach. Gates’ vision, rooted in his 2017 prediction at Columbia University—where he flagged AI as the future after Google’s DeepMind beat humans at Go—frames it as both “profound” and “a little bit scary” due to its limitless potential. As of March 27, 2025, his stance fuels debate: AI could democratize expertise and advance medicine and education, but its replacement of human roles raises real concerns about workforce upheaval.