Bill Gates to Commit $1 Billion So AI Doesn't Just Serve the Wealthy

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has announced that his charitable foundation will commit one billion dollars to ensuring artificial intelligence benefits not only wealthy people and nations, but also the most vulnerable populations. The announcement was made in a report from the Gates Foundation published this week.

"We can use artificial intelligence for good. But that won't happen on its own," Gates said. According to him, governments and companies developing AI must focus not only on commercial success, but also on whether the technology actually helps those who need it most.

If left entirely to market forces, Gates argues, the most advanced AI tools will be developed primarily for those who can afford to pay for them, rather than for those who stand to benefit from them the most. "There's a real risk that AI will be designed by the rich, for the rich," he emphasized.

A similar warning was issued back in November 2024 in a report by the International Labour Organization and the Office of the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology. The report warned that the AI revolution will only widen the gap between high- and low-income countries unless international cooperation improves. Unequal access to infrastructure, technology, and quality education risks locking in uneven opportunities to benefit from AI, further deepening global inequality.

Where the Foundation's Money Will Go

The largest share of funding — 40% — will go toward supporting education, including AI tutoring tools that help personalize learning both in the US and abroad. Another 40% will be dedicated to healthcare, funding diagnostics and clinical decision support for frontline medical workers, as well as tools for maternal and newborn care and the development of new medicines and vaccines.

The remaining funds will be split evenly between agriculture and the development of digital infrastructure needed to advance AI, with 10% allocated to each. This includes creating datasets in languages that current AI systems still struggle to understand.

The report notes that more than 90% of the data used to train the first major language models was in English, leaving many languages and communities underrepresented in these systems.

Gates called the next 12 to 18 months a critical window that will determine whether artificial intelligence ends up serving only the wealthiest or helps improve living conditions for people in developing countries. He also cautioned that the technology carries real risks — from job losses to disinformation and cyberattacks.

Source: novinky.cz