Gates Foundation will invest $1 billion to expand AI access globally
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The Gates Foundation announced it will spend at least $1 billion over the next two years to broaden access to artificial intelligence and related tools worldwide.
The foundation made this commitment alongside the launch of its 10th annual Goalkeepers Report, which argues that the benefits of AI are not guaranteed and require intentional effort to distribute equitably. Bill Gates explained the foundation was created to address imbalances in innovation, and AI presents a similar challenge, but at a faster pace.
The report identifies three key areas for action. First, the foundation will prioritize developing AI tools that function in all languages, noting that the vast majority of data used to train current AI models comes from English sources. Second, the foundation seeks to build AI tools specifically tailored to the needs of the communities that will use them, emphasizing local data and expertise.
Third, the organization will invest in training and access to ensure people can shape how AI benefits them. The $1 billion will be allocated across several priority areas. Forty percent will fund education initiatives, including AI tutoring and teaching tools. Another forty percent will support healthcare applications like diagnostics and drug discovery.
Ten percent will go to agriculture, providing AI-powered advice to smallholder farmers, and the final ten percent will build the digital infrastructure needed for equitable AI, including expanding datasets to include more languages. The Gates Foundation also urged governments and technology companies to join this effort and measure success by the benefits AI delivers to those most in need.
