Bill Gates Warns Of Technology Going Dangerously Out Of Control

As arguably one of the most influential tech luminaries in the world, Microsoft founder Bill Gates recently said words of caution with regards to runaway technologies coming out of Silicon Valley. While the billionaire philanthropist is still a huge believer in the potential for technology to help people, he also isn’t blind to the real possibility of technology enabling the few to cause substantial harm.

Gates made these statements during an interview with Axiom, which is only a precursor to the technology report letter that his and his wife’s charity group, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation releases on an annual basis. During the conversation, the billionaire expressed his concerns over the direction that some companies are taking with their technological innovations.

“There’s always the question how much technology is empowering a small group of people to cause damage,” Gates explained.

He also talked about how he worries about companies, particularly with how they are acting with supreme arrogance.

"The companies need to be careful that they're not ... advocating things that would prevent government from being able to, under appropriate review, perform the type of functions that we've come to count on," Gates said.

The tech luminary is basically taking a stance that’s contrary to what appears to be the more widely held belief in Silicon Valley that keeping information to themselves is the most important thing of all. This applies to companies hoarding user data for profit and those who prioritize keeping user information private from prying eyes, even if those users are criminal organizations.

Gates argues that regardless of the intentions of these companies, they are not above the law, Futurism notes. Even powerful entities like Apple or Facebook are still subject to the same legal systems that are in effect in the U.S. and hindering the government from functioning since it could do more harm than good.