Gates Foundation leads global coalition to expand AI access for 3.4 billion people

A global coalition of 60 organizations, led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has launched a five-year initiative to expand artificial intelligence access for approximately 3.4 billion people. The project targets speakers of underrepresented or “low-resource” languages to ensure AI tools are accurate and useful in their native tongues and voices.

Signatories include major technology entities such as Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, and the OpenAI Foundation, alongside various governments, research institutions, and philanthropic groups. The initiative aims to address the digital divide caused by the fact that only a small fraction of the world’s 7,000 languages are sufficiently resourced for current AI models.

The coalition will focus on four primary workstreams: building open language-data infrastructure, developing progress-tracking benchmarks, converting language data into accessible AI models, and ensuring responsible deployment that protects privacy and data sovereignty. Improving voice-based AI is highlighted as a critical component for communities where text-based interfaces are less practical, potentially enhancing access to essential services in health, education, and agriculture.