Warren Buffett, the co-founder of Berkshire Hathaway and the ninth richest person in the world, recently expressed his views on artificial intelligence (AI) deepfakes and the prevalence of scammers at the company’s annual shareholder meeting. Despite the death of vice chairman Charlie Munger in November 2023, Buffett commended the company’s growth and resilience during the meeting held in Omaha, Nebraska. However, the discussion shifted towards AI as the meeting progressed.
During a Q&A session, Buffett admitted that he lacked knowledge about AI but acknowledged its existence and importance. He went on to compare the impact of AI technology on illicit financial activities to the development and spread of nuclear weapons, drawing parallels to the destructive power they possess. Buffett shared an experience where he encountered a deepfake doppelganger that perfectly imitated his appearance, mannerisms, and speech.
While this is not the first time Buffett has expressed concerns about the potential dangers of AI, it is noteworthy that Berkshire Hathaway’s largest investment holdings are in Apple, the world’s second most valuable company. However, Microsoft, which heavily invested in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has surpassed Apple in value. As a result, Apple has been striving to catch up, placing significant emphasis on generative AI products.
In a related context, safeguarding social media platforms against bots has become crucial in the era of AI.