Bill Gates Warns Governments Are Not 'Nearly’ Prepared for AI’s Impact — Says Policymakers Are Falling Behind as His Foundation Puts $1 Billion Into Access

Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, said governments around the world are not prepared for the changes artificial intelligence will bring to society, warning that policymakers are falling behind as the technology advances.

"I don’t think any government is nearly as deep on this as they have to be," Gates told Reuters on Monday.

The comments come as the Gates Foundation committed at least $1 billion over the next two years to expand access to artificial intelligence worldwide. The foundation announced the funding alongside its 10th Goalkeepers Report, titled "Make This Matter: AI, Equity, and the Choice We Can’t Delay," which focuses on ensuring AI narrows gaps between communities instead of widening them.

$1 Billion AI Commitment

The foundation said 40% of the funding will support education, including AI tutoring and teaching tools, while another 40% will go toward health care, including diagnostics, clinical decision support, maternal and newborn care, and drug and vaccine discovery.

Agriculture will receive 10% of the funding to support AI-generated advice for smallholder farmers based on soil, weather and crop conditions. Another 10% will build digital infrastructure, including datasets for languages that AI tools do not yet understand.

The report identifies three priorities: making AI tools work in every language, building systems suited to local contexts and investing in people and affordable access so communities can help shape how the technology is used.

Gates On AI Equity

The report warns that AI could recreate the market-access challenge the Gates Foundation was created to address, but "at much greater speed." Without deliberate action, the most capable tools could be developed first for people and institutions able to pay for them.

The foundation said its funding will support partners working to close gaps in AI access and scale their efforts over the next two years. It also called on governments and technology companies to invest in making AI more useful, accessible and affordable.

In August, Gates warned that AI could concentrate wealth and deepen inequality while highlighting benefits in health care, agriculture and education. The commitment puts funding behind those areas while emphasizing access.

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