Gates Warns AI Could Intensify Cyberattacks Within a Year

Criminals could use increasingly capable artificial intelligence systems to launch more sophisticated cyberattacks over the coming year, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates warned Sunday, October 11, 2026. In interviews with ABC News and CNN, Gates identified malicious use of AI without adequate safeguards as a more immediate concern than the technology independently escaping human control.

Gates said existing systems could help attackers extort businesses, disrupt financial operations and exploit weaknesses in digital networks. He called for stronger restrictions to prevent malicious users from removing safeguards built into advanced AI models.

During an interview with ABC News, Gates identified cybercrime as the area where AI-related threats could become particularly visible in the near future.

"The front that we'll probably see most dramatically in the next year is cyberattacks," Gates said.

He distinguished the immediate danger posed by people misusing AI from longer-term concerns about increasingly autonomous systems.

"The real danger right now is not the AI's getting out of control. We need to work on that, but that's years away in terms of the big impact that might have," Gates said.

Gates said the combination of malicious actors, unrestricted access and powerful models could produce unexpected security incidents. He argued that existing protections were insufficient when users could disable them.

"It's really bad people using AI, particularly in AI where you can take out all the safeguards," Gates said.

He emphasized that the availability of advanced systems without effective restrictions creates an immediate challenge for policymakers and technology companies.

"But right now, you're allowed to take all those safeguards out. So when you have bad people, no safeguards, and then the latest models, that's where, over the next year, primarily in the cyber area, we are going to have a lot of negative surprises," Gates told ABC News.

In a separate interview on CNN's State of the Union with Jake Tapper, Gates reiterated that current defenses against malicious AI use were inadequate. The discussion also addressed concerns that AI could make it easier for terrorists to develop biological weapons.

"Well, no, we're not doing enough," Gates said when asked whether sufficient action was being taken to address the risks.

Gates also rejected the idea that technology companies could independently provide adequate oversight of AI systems without stronger external accountability.

"The idea that for the most dangerous technology humans ever invented, that that's the final word, that just the companies themselves are the only check that society has...it's clear we're not doing enough," Gates said.

Cybersecurity data cited by Fox News highlighted the growing scale of AI-enabled threats. According to CrowdStrike's 2026 Global Threat Report, attacks by AI-enabled adversaries increased 89% year over year in 2025, while the average time cybercriminals took to move laterally through compromised networks fell to 29 minutes.

The findings indicate that attackers are operating more quickly after gaining access to networks, increasing the pressure on organizations to detect and contain intrusions.

Democratic strategist Oliver Libby told Fox News Digital that governments face the challenge of strengthening protections without undermining technological progress in the United States.

"The great challenge both for innovators and governments in the coming months is to balance continued progress in AI with smart regulation. Leaders who can balance ensuring that America is not left behind, but that no American is left out, will win public trust," Libby said.

Libby called for coordinated federal and international standards, greater platform accountability, penalties for cyberattacks and deepfake-related abuses, stronger child safety protections, and measures to broaden public participation in AI's economic benefits.

"Regulation should focus on federal and international standards, platform responsibility, cyber and deepfake penalties, child safety, and ensuring the participation of the population in the economic benefits of this powerful technological revolution — while starting to prepare our society for what could be profound workforce disruption," Libby said.

Gates had also warned in an August post that society was dangerously unprepared for AI's broader effects, particularly potential disruption to employment. His latest remarks focused on the more immediate security risks associated with powerful AI tools being used without effective safeguards.