Bill Gates said that “software is still pretty dumb” even in 2023.
Bill Gates, a co-founder of Microsoft, made a bold forecast about artificial intelligence and stated that everyone will soon have a robot “agent” working for them, as per a report in Fortune. “In the near future, anyone who’s online will be able to have a personal assistant powered by artificial intelligence that’s far beyond today’s technology,” the billionaire said. He added that “software is still pretty dumb” even in this age and time. However, he predicts that the world would “change completely” in the next five years.
He added, “Agents are smarter. They’re proactive- capable of making suggestions before you ask for them.”
The tech mogul said that everyone will have a personal assistant that can do almost anything, pointing out that the technology can even arrange whole trips for its users. “When asked, it will recommend things to do based on your interests and propensity for adventure, and it will book reservations at the types of restaurants you would enjoy,” Mr Gates said. He added, “If you want this kind of deeply personalized planning today, you need to pay a travel agent and spend time telling them what you want.”
These remarks come as the world is witnessing advancement in AI technology, with the emergence of new platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Bing, Google Bard and Elon Musk’s Grok. Mr Gates went on to say that AI tools will “do even more” than productivity tools. “If you have an idea for a business, an agent will help you write up a business plan, create a presentation for it, and even generate images of what your product might look like,” he stated.
“Companies will be able to make agents available for their employees to consult directly and be part of every meeting so they can answer questions,” he continued.
He said that no single company will dominate the agent business. He did point out that most AI agents in the future will probably be available at a price. Mr Gates said, “(But) if the number of companies that have started working on AI just this year is any indication, there will be an exceptional amount of competition, which will make agents very inexpensive. Today, agents are embedded in other software like word processors and spreadsheets, but eventually they’ll operate on their own. Whether you work in an office or not, your agent will be able to help you in the same way that personal assistants support executives today.”
The co-founder of Microsoft claimed the technology will be utilised for a variety of purposes to simplify life, performing more intricate activities than those which are performed by voice assistants today. He asserted that they will be able to help with “virtually any activity and any area of life.”
“If your friend just had surgery, your agent will offer to send flowers and be able to order them for you. If you tell it you’d like to catch up with your old college roommate, it will work with their agent to find a time to get together, and just before you arrive, it will remind you that their oldest child just started college at the local university,” he said.