The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $1 billion over two years to ensure artificial intelligence technologies benefit humanity and do not widen existing global disparities. The announcement, made in the foundation's annual Goalkeepers report, highlights concerns that AI could deepen inequalities if not developed and deployed responsibly.
The funding will support AI-focused initiatives aimed at training models in local languages, enhancing health outcomes, improving educational tools, and informing agricultural practices for small farmers worldwide. The foundation's CEO, Mark Suzman, stressed the urgency for technology companies and world leaders to address these issues proactively.
"We haven’t given up on the U.S.," Suzman stated in an interview with The Associated Press, despite acknowledging challenges in securing international aid from the U.S. government. "We will acknowledge it’s been a challenging period with the U.S. government on this. But we believe there is still a case to be made."
The report arrives amid growing debate within the AI industry about the pace of development. Executives at leading AI companies have called for a slowdown, while former researchers have raised concerns about the potential for misuse and AI systems operating beyond human control.
Bill Gates himself has voiced similar sentiments, stating in a recent blog post that AI could be "the greatest equalizer" or "the worst source of injustice." He acknowledged the potential for AI to facilitate fraud, disinformation, cyberattacks, and bioterrorism, emphasizing the need to protect vulnerable populations.
The Gates Foundation's strategy focuses on democratizing AI's benefits. Approximately $100 million of the new funding will be dedicated to building datasets in underserved languages and local contexts. The foundation is collaborating with major AI companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft, on various projects.
Specifically, OpenAI is contributing $50 million to train health workers in Rwandan clinics, with plans to expand to other African countries. Anthropic is assisting in accelerating vaccine development and refining AI datasets for local crops. Microsoft's AI for Good Lab and Google.org are supporting open funding calls for projects focused on underrepresented languages in Africa.
The foundation plans to allocate around $400 million for educational tools, $400 million for healthcare applications, and $100 million for agricultural technologies. These figures represent a small fraction of the billions invested by tech giants in commercial AI products, prompting the foundation to engage in further discussions with these companies regarding their contributions.
Suzman noted that for AI to accelerate progress, it must perform effectively in all local languages, not just English and Mandarin. He believes AI can be a "transformative tool" for a world facing multiple crises, including rising child mortality rates and widening gaps between rich and poor nations.
Gates, who has pledged to donate 99% of his wealth to the foundation, emphasized that his views on AI are not profit-driven, despite his continued ties to the technology industry. The Goalkeepers report precedes high-level meetings at the United Nations General Assembly, where discussions on AI governance are expected, though the U.N.'s pace is noted as considerably slower than AI development.