Gates Foundation pledges $1B investment in AI access as industry faces scrutiny

Gates Foundation pledges $1B investment in AI access as industry faces scrutiny

by MOLLY K. GIBBS | The National News Desk

WASHINGTON (TNND) — As artificial intelligence advances at a rapid pace, the industry is facing growing scrutiny — including from some of its own leaders — over how quickly the technology is being developed and how it should be governed.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently urged a slower approach to AI development, while warning that moving too slowly could also carry risks.

“At the end of the day, the industry has to work together and it's harder, but to some extent the world has to work together,” Amodei said.

“If we go too slow, I still believe that the wrong people will be in charge of the technology and you know that again will bring the probability of things going wrong very high."

Lawmakers have offered mixed reactions, with some calling for government regulation and guardrails and others expressing concern about slowing the technology too much.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Congress has a role in the process, but emphasized that responsibility also lies with the companies building AI products.

“The people who are providing and creating these products obviously have responsibility as well,” Johnson said. “There is a corporate responsibility and an expectation that they will provide safe products.”

Johnson also pointed to the need to remain competitive internationally.

“What the president is referring to is the necessity of maintaining our edge over international competitors. I think we all can agree that's an important thing,” Johnson said. “So we will strike the right balance, but we are not going to act irrationally or haphazardly, because that could have negative secondary effects.”

At the same time, the Gates Foundation said it will begin addressing a different potential issue tied to artificial intelligence: access. The foundation said it will commit at least $1 billion over the next two years to help make AI more accessible around the world. The foundation, created by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his now ex-wife, Melinda Gates, is also calling on others to invest in expanding the technology worldwide.

“We can harness AI for good. But it won’t happen by accident. It requires a deliberate, specific commitment from government leaders and the companies developing the technology," Bill Gates said in a statement.