Bill Gates just dropped some hopeful vibes, suggesting that if we play our cards right with artificial intelligence (AI), we could actually make the world a fairer place.
In his recent blog post titled “The road ahead reaches a turning point in 2024,” the Microsoft bigwig spilled some lessons from global health that could make AI way fairer. His golden rule? Customize AI stuff to fit the people using it.
Gates is buzzing about AI’s game-changing role in creating new medicines. AI tools are like speed demons, turbocharging the process of finding new drugs. And here’s the kicker – Gates wants these AI wonders to tackle health issues hitting the poorest hard, things like AIDS, TB, and malaria.
Gates sees AI as the superhero in the fight against antibiotic resistance. There’s this cool AI-powered tool in Ghana that helps health workers dish out antibiotics without making the resistance problem worse. It’s like a genius assistant for doctors.
Switching gears to moms in India, Gates is excited about an AI copilot from the nonprofit Armaan. It’s like an AI language genius designed to help health workers dealing with high-risk pregnancies. It adapts to whoever is using it, whether you’re a newbie nurse or a seasoned midwife.
On the topic of assessing HIV risk, Gates is all about making things less awkward. He’s talking about a South African chatbot that acts like a chill counselor, giving advice 24/7 without any judgment.
Gates, the tech oracle, even threw in some predictions. He figures AI will be a regular thing for folks in the U.S. in the next 18–24 months. And for our friends in African countries? Give it about three years. It’s still a gap, but compared to how slow other cool stuff took to reach us, it’s a lightning-fast leap forward.