Bill Gates has reversed his earlier AI optimism and now argues the world is unprepared for the technology's scale and speed of impact. In a 6,000-word essay, he calls for concrete policy responses—including robot taxes and job protections—plus new international governance bodies to manage AI risks across borders, while acknowledging existing institutions can't handle the task.

• Gates predicts AI will cause widespread permanent job loss across white- and blue-collar sectors, requiring governments to act before unemployment spikes and public trust erodes.
• He proposes taxing AI tokens and robots to discourage worker replacement, establishing "Human Reserved" jobs, and creating new social funds to offset economic disruption.
• Current global institutions are inadequate for managing AI because the technology cuts across tax, labor, health, security, and education—requiring new dedicated government bodies and an unprecedented international organization to handle cross-border risks.