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There are many problems billionaire tech tycoon Bill Gates is hoping to help solve<\/a>: eradicating polio<\/a>, water sanitization and agricultural development to name a few. But one frontier he worries is being passed on to future generations is misinformation. <\/p>\n Misinformation is a problem, the Microsoft<\/a> co-founder said, which we are \u201chanding to the younger generation.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking to CNBC Make It<\/a><\/em> Gates, worth $158 billion per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index<\/a>, said he had been naive in assuming that \u201cwhen we made information available, that people would want correct information<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n A high-profile figure himself, Gates has seen scrutiny extend to his family. His daughter Phoebe, in particular, has struggled with being harassed online. <\/p>\n \u201cHearing my daughter talk about how she\u2019d been harassed online, and how her friends experienced that quite a bit, brought that into focus in a way that I hadn\u2019t thought about before,\u201d\u00a0Gates\u2014a father of three\u2014continued. <\/p>\n Gates\u2019s youngest daughter has previously spoken<\/a> about the misconceptions about her family and relationships, including being \u201cmemed for being in an interracial relationship.\u201d <\/p>\n An internet meme is an image or video, usually intended to be humorous, which is spread online.<\/p>\n Despite being aware of how misinformation is spreading online, Gates said he can understand\u00a0why certain audiences flock to platforms<\/a>\u00a0that<\/span> reflect their views\u2014a phenomenon known as confirmation bias.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have context where we want correct information like hopefully when we want medical advice,\u201d Gates said. \u201cBut then we kind of like, in our community and enclave, have these shared views that kind of pull us together.\u201d<\/p>\n He explained: \u201cEven I will wallow. Let\u2019s say there\u2019s a politician I don\u2019t like, and there\u2019s some article online criticizing him a little bit. I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh, that\u2019s such a good critique [and] I enjoyed reading it, even if it was exaggerated.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Fellow billionaire Elon Musk is seemingly not a fan of Gates\u2014and Gates\u2019s probing questions about how to control the spread of incorrect information online<\/a> may not have helped the relationship. <\/p>\n Gates said in the interview released yesterday: \u201cWe should have free speech. <\/p>\n \u201cBut if you\u2019re inciting violence, if you\u2019re causing people not to take vaccines, where are those boundaries? <\/p>\n \u201cEven the U.S. should have rules, and then if you have rules, what is it? Is it some AI that encodes those rules? You have billions in activity and if you catch it a day later the harm is done.\u201d<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time Gates has proposed the emerging technology as a tool against misinformation and deepfakes (images and videos which are incredibly realistic but are not authentic.)<\/p>\n In a blog post on his website, GatesNotes<\/a>, in July the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation founder wrote: \u201cThis will be a cyclical process: Someone finds a way to detect fakery, someone else figures out how to counter it, someone else develops counter-countermeasures, and so on. <\/p>\n \u201cIt won\u2019t be a perfect success, but we won\u2019t be helpless either.\u201d<\/p>\n Musk, the CEO of Tesla<\/a> and owner of X\u2014the platform previously known as Twitter\u2014is a free-speech absolutist who may not take kindly to the notion of rules being placed on what he can say.<\/p>\n Musk believes freedom of speech is the \u201cbedrock of democracy<\/a>\u201d and has vowed to battle apparent censorship of his platform. <\/p>\n The SpaceX<\/a> founder is currently engaged in a fierce battle with lawmakers in Brazil<\/a> over their decision to ban the platform in the country, alleging the site spread hate speech and fake news.<\/p>\n That being said, a debate over how to control misinformation wouldn\u2019t be the first time the views of Musk and Gates have been at odds.<\/p>\n In July, for example, Musk threatened Gates would be \u201cobliterated\u201d<\/a> for apparently holding a bearish position on Tesla stock. <\/p>\n Fortune<\/em> could not confirm whether Gates still owns a short position on the EV maker. <\/p>\n Likewise, Gates believes his management style is better than Musk\u2019s<\/a>\u2014a boss he believes may push \u201ctoo hard.\u201d<\/p>\n Musk has also claimed Gates doesn\u2019t understand artificial intelligence, saying his insight on the topic is \u201climited.\u201d <\/a><\/p>\n Musk tweeted in March of last year, in response to an essay written by Gates on the subject: \u201cI remember the early meetings with Gates. His understanding of A.I. was limited. Still is.\u201d<\/p>\n Misinformation may just be the latest of many topics on which the billionaires will have to agree to disagree.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\u2018We should have rules\u2019<\/h2>\n
Musk\u2019s take on freedom of speech<\/h2>\n
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