Bill Gates bets $1 billion on AI to close the rich-poor divide | Here’s what he suggests

Bill Gates says AI has the potential to make essential knowledge, opportunities and solutions more widely available if the technology is developed and deployed responsibly.

The Gates Foundation plans to invest at least $1 billion over the next two years to expand access to artificial intelligence (AI), as co-founder Bill Gates warns that the rapid adoption of AI could widen the economic gap between rich and poor nations.

Gates said AI has the potential to make essential knowledge, opportunities and solutions more widely available if the technology is developed and deployed responsibly.

“AI, if shaped well, could expand who has access to solutions, opportunities, and knowledge that has too often been out of reach,” Gates wrote in a report. “The decisions made in the next 12 to 18 months — about how AI is built, funded, and deployed — will determine whether this technology primarily benefits the people who already have the most or reaches those who have the least.”

AI funding to focus on healthcare, education and agriculture

The planned funding will support the development of AI-based tools for people working in sectors including education, healthcare and agriculture.

The foundation also intends to support efforts to bring non-English language sources into large datasets used by AI developers. The move is aimed at making AI systems more useful and accessible to people who do not primarily communicate in English.

Gates has increasingly focused on ensuring that the benefits of technological advances are distributed more broadly, particularly in developing economies where access to advanced digital tools remains limited.

Gates warns about AI risks

The Microsoft co-founder has also stepped up his warnings about the potential risks associated with artificial intelligence.

In an essay published in August, Gates called on technology companies and regulators to take the risks posed by AI to humanity more seriously.