Bill Gates is more than certain the next several decades will be a time of "rapid progress" in the world of computers and technology overall. The only problem is the man who founded and help turn Microsoft into a billion dollar company isn't so sure that's a good thing.

Gates responded to a series of fast-forming and far-reaching questions during a recent Reddit Ask Me Anything session.

"I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence," he said. "First, the machines will do a lot of jobs for us and not be super intelligent. A few decades after that, though, the intelligence is strong enough to a concern. I think we should be very careful about artificial intelligence. If I were to guess like what our biggest existential threat is, it's probably that."

Gates' growing concerns mirror those recently voiced by such other industry notables as Tesla Motors boss Elon Musk, who recently referred to such continued scientific advancement as "summoning the demon."

Famed British inventor Clive Sinclair sounded the alarm bells loudest of all when he opined artificial intelligence will ultimately come to doom all mankind.

"Once you start to make machines that are rivaling and surpassing humans with intelligence, it's going to be very difficult for us to survive," he told BBC recently. "It's just inevitability."

Gates' Microsoft, the world's largest maker of software, is in the midst of developing a machine intelligence known as Cortana. Already used a part of Microsoft's Window phone mobile program, the software program is also slated to be part of Microsoft's new PC platforms due to hit stores later this year.

Gates left Microsoft as CEO in 2000 and resigned as chairman just last year. He now serves as an advisor to the company.