Michelle ThompsonThis year, I experienced my initial foray into utilizing artificial intelligence for professional purposes, rather than simply as a novelty. I believe many individuals have shared a similar experience. We are currently witnessing the commencement of a substantial technological shift. This period is both thrilling and perplexing, characterized by uncertainties regarding how AI will influence the forthcoming years. Nevertheless, it is becoming increasingly evident that AI has the potential to enhance productivity and broaden accessibility to education, mental healthcare, and various other domains.
Throughout my career, a fundamental principle has been the driving force: Innovation is the cornerstone of progress. This belief prompted me to establish Microsoft, and it’s also the reason my ex-wife Melinda and I founded the Gates Foundation over two decades ago. As a result of innovation, lives around the world have seen remarkable improvements in the last century.
Since the year 2000, the world has achieved nearly a 50% reduction in child mortality before the age of five, and innovation has played a pivotal role in this progress. Scientists have devised more efficient and cost-effective methods for vaccine production without compromising safety. They have also designed novel delivery systems that can reach even the most remote areas, thus increasing vaccine coverage and protecting children from deadly diseases like rotavirus.
In a world with finite resources, it becomes imperative to maximize the impact of each dollar spent, and innovation is the key to achieving this. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to revolutionize the rate of new discoveries in a way we have never witnessed before.
One of the most significant impacts of AI has been in the realm of drug discovery. AI tools have the potential to significantly expedite the drug development process, with some companies already working on cancer drugs utilizing this approach. The Gates Foundation places a high priority on ensuring that these AI tools are employed to tackle health issues such as AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, which disproportionately affect the world’s most impoverished populations.
I firmly believe that AI holds immense potential for enhancing the lives of individuals in low- and middle-income countries. During a recent visit to Senegal, I had the privilege of meeting several innovators from developing nations who are conducting remarkable AI research with the goal of benefiting their own communities in the future. Although much of their work is still in its infancy, it sets the stage for a substantial technological advancement later in this decade.
It’s truly remarkable to witness the remarkable creativity being brought to the forefront. The teams I had the privilege of meeting are actively researching how AI can combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens, enable better HIV risk assessment, enhance the accessibility of medical information for healthcare workers, and more. I’m genuinely impressed by how innovators from developing countries are taking on some of the most significant challenges facing their own communities.
Consider this distressing statistic: A woman loses her life during childbirth or pregnancy every two minutes. An Indian team aims to leverage artificial intelligence to improve these odds. ARMMAN’s extensive language model is poised to serve as a co-pilot for healthcare workers managing high-risk pregnancies. What’s particularly impressive is that it can operate in both English and Telugu, adapting seamlessly to the user’s level of expertise, whether they are a novice nurse or a seasoned midwife with decades of experience.
Projects like these have a long road ahead, with significant obstacles still to overcome. These include the challenge of scaling up projects without compromising quality and ensuring they have robust backend access to maintain their functionality over time.
To maximize their impact, we must address some of the broader risks associated with AI, such as preventing bias and hallucinations. Hallucinations occur when an AI system confidently asserts something that is untrue, which could be catastrophic in a medical context. While some researchers believe that hallucinations are inherent to AI technology, I hold a more optimistic view. I believe that, with time, AI models can be trained to distinguish fact from fiction. Promising work in this regard is being conducted by OpenAI, in which Microsoft is a significant investor and partner.
Furthermore, it’s crucial that AI products are tailored to the individuals who will use them. For instance, I’m excited about an AI-based educational tutor named Somanasi. The AI educational tools being tested today are astonishing because they adapt to the unique learning needs of each student, and Somanasi, which means “learn together” in Swahili, will bring these benefits to students in Kenya. It has been thoughtfully designed to align with the local curriculum and cultural context, ensuring that it feels familiar and relevant to the students who use it.
I find it truly inspiring to witness the dedication of numerous researchers who are already contemplating the deployment of new technologies in low- and middle-income countries. If we make thoughtful investments at this juncture, AI has the potential to create a more equitable world. It has the capacity to significantly reduce or even eliminate the delay between when affluent nations adopt an innovation and when less privileged nations have access to it. In high-income countries like the United States, I believe we are just 18-24 months away from witnessing widespread AI adoption among the general population. In African nations, I anticipate a similar level of usage within approximately three years. While there is still a gap, it is significantly shorter than the lag times we’ve observed with previous innovations. Closing this gap is crucial for diminishing global inequalities. Even in the face of adversity, I can’t help but maintain a sense of optimism about the future when I contemplate how AI has the potential to expedite the delivery of game-changing technologies to those who require them, faster than ever before.
Emily Martinez
