Agencies
Microsoft co-founder and former CEO Bill Gates highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence to unlock new tools in health, education and agriculture during a meeting with Indonesia’s president on Wednesday.
Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s biggest economy and has a population of around 280 million across its sprawling archipelago, with a growing demand for data centres and AI tech in the region.
Gates visited President Prabowo Subianto and Indonesian philanthropists in the capital, Jakarta, where he spoke about his optimism that AI-driven innovation will help tackle global challenges.
“AI is going to help us discover new tools. And even in the delivery of health and education, and agricultural advice, we’ll be using AI,” he said.
“Once we finish (eradicating) polio, we’d like to try and eradicate measles and malaria as well. We have some new tools for that. And of course, part of my optimism about the innovation is because we have now artificial intelligence.”
U.N. agencies have been campaigning for four decades to eradicate polio, most often spread through sewage and contaminated water.
The billionaire philanthropist has donated more than $159 million to Indonesia since 2009, mostly to the health sector, including to fund vaccines, Prabowo said.
Gates later visited an elementary school in Jakarta alongside Prabowo to see students having free meals as part of a program launched by the Indonesian leader.
