Warren Buffett compares AI to atom bomb at Berkshire Hathaway

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett expressed his concern over the rise of artificial intelligence Saturday, comparing the rise of the technology to the creation of the atom bomb.

Buffett and his partner, Charlie Munger, discussed their outlooks on tech and AI during a wide-ranging discussion at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska.

Buffett, who said he got a lesson on ChatGPT from his buddy Bill Gates, one of the founders of Microsoft, voiced his fears over the rapidly evolving programs.

Although Buffett said he was impressed by AI’s vast capabilities, including checking all legal opinions “since the beginning of time,” he said he is a bit apprehensive about the technology.

“When something can do all kinds of things, I get a little bit worried,” the 92-year-old investor said. “Because I know we won’t be able to un-invent it and, you know, we did invent, for very, very good reason, the atom bomb in World War II.” 

“It was enormously important that we did so,” Buffett continued, Fox Business reported. “But is it good for the next 200 years of the world that the ability to do so has been unleashed?”

Buffett said he believes AI will change “everything in the world, except how men think and behave.”

“And that’s a big step to take,” he said.

Munger, the 99-year-old vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, also expressed some reluctance about AI.

“I am personally skeptical of some of the hype that is going into artificial intelligence,” Munger said. “I think old-fashioned intelligence works pretty well.”

The comments from the titans of investing came after more than 1,600 researchers and tech experts, including Elon Musk, signed a letter in late March calling for a six-month pause on AI development because they claim it poses “profound risks to society and humanity.”

“Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable,” the letter said.