Bill Gates says he's switched to a Surface Book
World's richest man also expresses unease about artificial intelligence in Reddit Ask Me Anything session
Bill Gates revealed he has recently switched to using a Microsoft Surface Book during a Q&A session on Reddit in which he also repeated his misgivings about artificial intelligence (AI).
In his fourth appearance on Reddit Ask Me Anything, Gates answered questions on topics ranging from the Apple-versus-FBI case, why he isn't running for president, and whether he still dances.
The Microsoft founder also revealed that he remains loyal to Microsoft technology, citing the vendor's new laptop as his device of choice.
"I just recently switched to the Surface Book," he said, when asked to reveal his computer specifications. "I only detach the screen a few times a week and I like the keyboard better than my previous Surface."
Gates was asked about his stance on AI and whether humans will lose control of their artificially intelligent designs. Incidentally, the question came just as news broke that a Google computer had defeated the world champion of Go, a game seen as significantly more complex than chess.
Gates reiterated his unease on the subject.
"I haven't seen any concrete proposal on how you would do the regulation," he said. "I think it is worth discussing because I share the view of [Elon] Musk and [Stephen] Hawking that when a few people control a platform with extreme intelligence, it creates dangers in terms of power and eventually control."
However, Gates did nominate robotics as the biggest advancement in technology that will occur in the next 20 years.
"I recently saw a company working on 'robotic' surgery where the ability to work at small scales was stunning," Gates said. "The idea that this will make surgeries higher quality, faster and less expensive is pretty exciting. It will probably take a decade before this gets mainstream - to date it has mostly been used for prostate surgery."