NEW YORK: The Gates Foundation has pledged $1 billion over the next two years to help ensure that artificial intelligence benefits people in underserved communities and does not deepen existing inequalities between wealthy and developing countries. The announcement comes as Bill Gates warns that governments and technology companies need to act quickly to make AI more inclusive.
The funding initiative is aimed at expanding access to AI tools in key sectors including healthcare, education and agriculture. The foundation plans to support the development of AI applications that can address challenges faced by communities where access to doctors, teachers and agricultural experts remains limited.
A major focus will be on making AI useful in local and underserved languages. The initiative is expected to support local-language model development and more inclusive datasets so that people in developing countries are not left behind as AI technology rapidly advances.
Bill Gates has warned that AI could become either a powerful tool for reducing inequality or a technology that makes existing disparities even wider. He has urged governments, technology companies and international institutions to ensure that the benefits of AI reach populations that traditionally have had less access to advanced digital technologies.
The Gates Foundation is also working with major technology and research organizations on AI-related initiatives. Reported collaborations include OpenAI, Anthropic, Google.org and Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab, with projects focused on areas such as AI-assisted medical diagnosis, educational support and tools that can help farmers respond to agricultural problems.
The initiative comes amid growing debate over the social and economic impact of artificial intelligence. While AI has the potential to improve productivity and expand access to services, experts and policymakers are increasingly concerned that unequal access to computing power, data, digital infrastructure and skilled workers could leave poorer countries at a disadvantage.
Gates has also called for greater international cooperation on AI. He argues that governments are currently not moving quickly enough to prepare for the technology’s impact on jobs, education, cybersecurity and society.
The foundation’s latest commitment reflects a broader effort to make AI development more inclusive and ensure that technological progress contributes to improvements in people’s lives rather than widening the global digital divide.
