Bill Gates Sounds the Alarm : AI will replace search and shopping sites

Once AI Wins Assistant Race, Search & Shopping Giants' Dominance Will End

Renowned entrepreneur and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has warned that the rapid pace of technological advances could render major tech companies like Google, Amazon and even Microsoft obsolete in the near future.

Speaking at the AI Forward 2023 conference in San Francisco, Gates said he would be disappointed if Microsoft did not compete in the race to create the next generation of AI-powered technologies, though he estimates a 50% chance that a startup company could emerge as the leader.

Gates singled out Inflection AI, co-founded by Reid Hoffman, as one company that has impressed him. Several tech companies are working to develop advanced AI assistants that consumers will be able to command using just their voice or text, according to La Republica.

Gates remarked that "whoever wins the personal agent race will see tremendous success." His comments suggest that the major players today like Google, Amazon and Microsoft may struggle to keep up with these emerging innovations and technologies being developed by smaller, more agile companies.

The warnings from one of technology's biggest luminaries highlight the rapidly changing landscape of the industry, with new entrants and disruptive technologies posing an existential threat to even the biggest and most successful tech giants.