Admissions by Bill Gates about various personal indiscretions – notably his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – have raised questions about his personal judgement and continue to weigh on his reputation, even though he is not accused of any involvement in Epstein’s crimes.

However, there is no denying how influential Gates has been personally, as well as through Microsoft, in driving the technological developments that now shape how we work, communicate, learn, and even play.

It is, thus, surely still worthwhile paying attention to his views on technology, including AI, which is advancing at a pace that has surprised many, including Gates himself.

In his recent essay titled ‘The turbulent AI era is here. The choices we make now are critical’, Gates outlines the need for a global plan on how to “preserve our humanity in a time when machines can out-think us”.

It’s an appeal based on a balanced assessment of the many likely benefits that AI can bring – from medical breakthroughs and improving farming outcomes in poorer countries to combating climate change – to the known and unknown risks.

One of the key threats identified by Gates is the impact that AI will have on employment.

For South Africa, where joblessness is already at extreme levels, especially among young people, Gates’ warning of a possible “vicious cycle” on employment where robots and AI combined should be a wakeup call.

“After one company adopts them and uses the savings to lower its prices, its competitors will feel immense pressure to do the same,” Gates writes. “Market forces will make adoption go faster and faster and, unless we intervene, there will be fewer good jobs available, and the benefits will accrue to a small group.”

A similar concern was raised by Pope Leo XIV in his encyclical titled ‘Magnifica humanitas’; a document that describes the potential for a significant and rapid contraction in available jobs as a legitimate fear.

“It is certainly desirable for technology to relieve humans of arduous, repetitive or dangerous tasks and to provide intelligent support for human activity. Yet, the protection of employment opportunities and the irreplaceable role of the individual must remain the general rule,” the encyclical states.

Gates goes further to seriously suggest that certain jobs be set aside, or reserved, for people, as well as to propose a tax on AI tokens and robots to remove the prevailing financial incentives for replacing people with machines and to raise money to assist with transition costs.

Ultimately, both Gates and Pope Leo are really calling for an acknowledgment of the limits of self-regulation over technologies where the potential to do damage is arguably larger than in industries where regulation is demanded. Think aerospace and nuclear, or pharmaceuticals and food safety.

Governments and civils society need to begin taking actions aimed at enhancing the benefits to people from AI while mitigating and/or adapting to the risks. Starting with an acknowledgement that the prevailing hands-off approach is both inappropriate and dangerous.