Bill Gates has warned that unchecked artificial intelligence could cause up to a billion deaths. However, a Guardian columnist questions whether Gates' judgment can be trusted given his past association with Jeffrey Epstein, suggesting he should instead focus on AI's current real-world harms rather than hypothetical future dangers.

Gates met with Epstein on several occasions after 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty to charges including solicitation of prostitution from a minor. Whilst Gates claims he was unaware of the extent of Epstein's crimes, the columnist argues that basic due diligence would have revealed this and questions his credibility on matters of judgment and foresight, particularly when the technology giant's role in "AI-enabled destruction" is currently playing out in real-world conflicts.