It's not killer robots you should worry about just yet; it's the hackers already using AI without any guardrails.

Well, this is sobering.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned that we are about to see a dramatic surge in AI-powered cyberattacks over the next year, telling ABC News on Sunday that unregulated AI is now a clear and present danger.

And his biggest worry isn't AI getting out of control on its own; that's still years away, he says. The real threat right now? Bad actors stripping the safeguards off powerful models and weaponising them.

Speaking to ABC News, as reported by cbinews.tv, Gates said:

“The front that we’ll probably see most dramatically in the next year is cyberattacks... The real danger right now is not the AI getting out of control... It's really bad people using AI, particularly in AI where you can take out all the safeguards.”

He added: “But right now, you’re allowed to take all those safeguards out. So when you have bad people, no safeguards, and then the latest models, that’s where, over the next year, primarily in the cyber area, we are going to have a lot of negative surprises.”

This isn't just about big tech or governments. According to IBM's latest Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average data breach now costs $4.45 million, and AI is already making phishing emails almost indistinguishable from the real thing. For small businesses, hospitals, schools, and for you and me, that means more convincing scams, faster ransomware, and stolen identities.

Gates also flagged the risk of AI being misused for bioterrorism, and called for tighter restrictions, flatly rejecting the idea pushed by US President Donald Trump that self-regulation by AI companies is enough.

“The idea that for the most dangerous technology humans ever invented, that that’s the final word, that just the companies themselves are the only check that society has… it’s clear we’re not doing enough,” he said.

This isn't Gates' first alarm bell. Back in August, he published a lengthy post warning that the world is dangerously unprepared for AI's upheaval, particularly around jobs. He joins a growing chorus, from Geoffrey Hinton to Mustafa Suleyman, warning that regulation is lagging years behind capability.

Historically, we've been here before. When the internet went mainstream in the 90s, security was an afterthought. We spent the next two decades playing catch-up. With open-source models now letting anyone remove safety filters in minutes, experts fear we're making the same mistake, but at super-speed.

No coding needed: Attackers can ask AI to write malware for them.

Hyper-personalised phishing: AI can scan your LinkedIn and write a perfect email in your boss's tone.

Speed: What took a hacking gang weeks now takes hours.

Gates says governments need to act now, with mandatory safeguards that cannot be removed, global standards for frontier models, and tougher penalties for misuse.

For the rest of us? Expect new rules on AI use, more investment in AI-driven defence, and, frankly, a need to be a lot more suspicious of that urgent email in your inbox.

Source: cbinews.tv

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