Gates Foundation commits $1B to expand AI access for poor communities
The Gates Foundation announced it will spend at least $1 billion over the next two years to expand access to artificial intelligence and AI-enabled solutions, especially for communities with limited technology access. The announcement came in a press release on Tuesday as the foundation launched its 10th annual Goalkeepers Report titled 'Make This Matter: AI, Equity, and the Choice We Can't Delay.' The report stresses that AI must narrow, not widen, gaps between rich and poor.
Funding will be split: 40% for education (AI tutoring and teaching tools), 40% for healthcare (diagnostics, clinical decision‑making, maternal and newborn care, drug and vaccine discovery), 10% for agriculture (AI‑generated advice for smallholder farmers based on soil, weather and crops), and the remaining 10% for building the digital foundation needed for equitable AI, including datasets in languages that current AI tools do not yet understand.
The report highlights that over 90% of data used to train early large language models came from English sources, leaving many language communities poorly represented. It calls for developing AI tools that work in local languages, involving communities in data governance, and providing doctors, farmers, teachers and developers with opportunities to assess and adapt AI to local settings. Affordable access will require action from technology companies, governments and philanthropic organisations.
Bill Gates said AI’s benefits will not happen by accident and urged leaders to measure success by what AI can do for those who stand to gain the most.