The Year Ahead 2026: Optimism with footnotes (Primary source)
In this blog post, Bill Gates writes he remains optimistic about global progress thanks to innovation and AI, but warns funding cuts, inequality, climate change, and AI risks temper that hope and require urgent action.
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“The effects of this disruption [Artificial Intelligence] are hard to model. Sometimes, when a game-changing technology improves rapidly, it drives more demand at lower cost and, by making the world richer, increases demand in other areas. For example, AI makes software developers at least twice as efficient, which makes coding cheaper while also creating demand elasticity for code. (Computing is a good historical example where lower costs actually caused the overall market to grow.)”
Bill Gates
“The axiom that you learn more from your failures than your successes is trite but absolutely true.”
— Bill Gates Primary source“The type of person who comes up with the brilliant idea isn’t often the best person to turn it into a business.”
— Bill Gates Primary source“Anytime we have new forms of communication it changes behavior whether it is political or business or any type of behavior.”
— Bill Gates Primary source“Of all the things humans have ever created, AI will change society the most.”
— Bill Gates Primary source“No animal has more liberty than the cat; but it buries the mess it makes. The cat is the best anarchist.”
— Ernest Hemingway Primary source“The noblest question in the world is, what good may I do in it?”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.”
— Jack London Disputed“A good example is the best sermon.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary sourceArtificial Intelligence Computer Programming Technology Economics