Source Code: The Early Days(Flammarion), which is the first volume of his memoirs. Following the customary round of questions, he shared his insights on artificial intelligence, highlighting both its potential and the necessary precautions for its development.
A Turbulent Youth
Born in 1955 in Seattle, in the northwest of the United States, Gates recalls growing up in a loving and affluent family. He expresses deep gratitude to his modern
, progressive
parents. His father was a lawyer, while his mother held a managerial position in a company. He dedicates his book to his two sisters.
Among the influential figures of his childhood, his grandmother, affectionately called Gami, played a foundational role by teaching him card games, never letting him win easily. My parents were comfortable. They spent a lot of time raising us. My grandmother was fabulous. Learning to play cards as well as she did really stimulated my brain. She read me a lot of books too. So, looking back, I was incredibly lucky in every aspect
.
« I’m going to be 70 this year, and Microsoft will be 50, my foundation will be 25, and my dad would have been 100 this year. »
Despite this, he was known for his temper: he describes himself as an impulsive child, often angry and troubled, who rejected any form of authority. He was variously described as obnoxious and arrogant. While some saw him as a precocious child, others viewed him as completely maladjusted.
From a young age, Bill Gates developed a fear of failure and a competitive spirit. His encounter with computing at age 13 was an epiphany, and he quickly learned programming. At 14, he met Paul Allen, two years his senior, with whom he would later found Microsoft, achieving spectacular success. By age 20, he was already envisioning the future of artificial intelligence. It’s revealed that he used to sneak out at night to go to his school to program!
And AI?
Beyond childhood memories, Léa Salamé also asked some more contemporary questions about AI and social media. Acknowledging the benefits of AI, particularly in terms of productivity and innovation, Bill Gates said: I’m scared too. It’s an amazing promise to use artificial intelligence to provide individual tutors for people, to aid medical research (…) It boosts productivity, it will give us a lot of free time
. He added that it’s crucial to approach this technology cautiously, wondering whether it will evolve “in the right way”.
Bill Gates also spoke on the need for appropriate regulation of AI, stating that governments must play a key role in ensuring that the benefits of AI are maximized while minimizing potential risks.
He emphasized the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors in establishing ethical frameworks and policies to ensure responsible use of AI.
Furthermore, he discussed the impact of social media on society, admitting: I think we were a bit naive about the impact of social media
. This reflection underscores the need for a more critical and informed approach to emerging technologies.
« Steve and I both led the technological revolution. We both worked very hard, motivated people. But, he was a design genius. He had an intuition for things. He wasn’t an engineer. I am an engineer. »