Bill Gates and Warren Buffett
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett speak with journalist Charlie Rose at an event organized by Columbia Business School on January 27, 2017 in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

  • Bill Gates sat down with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to discuss AI
  • Gates, Sunak answered questions from a chatbot
  • Gates says the best advice he received was from friend Warren Buffett

ChatGPT may have access to limitless information, but it can still learn a thing or two from a billionaire like Bill Gates.

In an interview with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in February, Gates answered questions generated by an AI chatbot, similar to ChatGPT. The chatbot asked about the best advice they've ever received and how it has influenced their lives. The tech mogul cited "great advice" from his longtime friend and fellow billionaire, Warren Buffett, on the importance of friendship.

"Warren Buffett talked about [how], in the end, it's how friends really think of you and how strong those friendships are [that matters]," Gates shared.

Buffett and Gates have been friends for over three decades and have founded The Giving Pledge together. The movement encourages the richest people in the world to donate at least half of their wealth to charitable causes. Among pledgers are Elon Musk, MacKenzie Scott and Carl Icahn.

Buffett has repeatedly emphasized the significance of choosing good friends and surrounding oneself "with people that are better than yourself."

Several studies have also concluded the importance of good friends and having strong relationships in human survival.

A 2010 study of 300,000 people published in the journal PLOS Medicine showed that individuals with strong social relationships had a 50% increased likelihood of survival compared to those with weaker or no social relations. The beneficial effects of social relationships on mortality risk also exceeded the effects of physical inactivity and obesity.

Aside from Buffett's advice, the Microsoft founder also quoted wise words from Richard Feynman, a theoretical physicist and scientist best known for his work on quantum electrodynamics.

"He always said it's good to show your confusion because if you let yourself pretend to know something, then your thinking gets sloppy and eventually, you kind of won't be able to figure things out at all," Gates explained.

Gates remains among the richest people in the world, sitting in the fifth spot despite stepping down from his role as Microsoft CEO in 2000 and leaving the board in 2020. Worth over $107 billion, Gates has stakes in Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Caterpillar Inc. and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

American billionaire Bill Gates is the co-founder of TerraPower
American billionaire Bill Gates is the co-founder of TerraPower POOL via AFP / Evan Vucci