A Register columnist reflects on Bill Gates' recent warnings that artificial intelligence could bring mass unemployment, devastating cyberattacks and an unprecedented concentration of wealth and power among tech leaders. The piece argues that while Gates' proposed solutions—international regulation and government investment in new jobs—are sensible, they are politically unworkable at present, leaving individuals to adapt on their own, particularly through education.

The article highlights how AI is already disrupting education: a history professor at Alcorn State University in Mississippi caught 32 of 35 students submitting AI-generated coursework by embedding a hidden instruction in his exam question, which most students unwittingly copied into their answers. The columnist argues this exposes a deeper crisis, especially in IT and computer science, where it is unclear whether traditional coding skills remain worth teaching given the pace of AI-driven change. The piece suggests looking to the mindset of curious, rule-bending teenage technologists—as Gates himself once was—for clues on how to navigate the uncertainty.