Microsoft Corp. MSFT co-founder and former CEO Bill Gates is back with his outlook on 2024 and the massive impact that AI will have on five ambitious breakthroughs in healthcare.
What Happened: Gates underlined the importance of AI in consumer-facing applications and use cases and healthcare.
In his post, Gates ponders about the world that his new granddaughter will inherit and the impact that AI will have across the aspects of life, right from healthcare to jobs and income and wealth inequality, among other things.
"Lots of changes often mark the early years of a new age," Gates said, giving the example of the internet. He thinks we are beginning a transition now that AI is beginning to go mainstream.
One of the aspects that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been working on is improving healthcare access and finding solutions to some of the most troubling issues that plague the world.
However, despite the adversities that the world has seen this year – from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war to the Israel-Hamas war and the worsening situation for many due to climate change, Gates says he remains optimistic.
One reason for his optimism is that researchers are on the cusp of important breakthroughs in the healthcare sector, thanks to AI.
At the center of this optimism is innovation, and Gates thinks AI is going to supercharge it.
See Also: New Google Maps Update Is An Example Of Real-World Problems That AI Can Solve Today
Five Ambitious Breakthroughs Being Explored Using AI
Gates highlighted the five most ambitious questions and breakthroughs being explored using AI as part of his foundation's work:
Antibiotic Resistance: Antibiotic resistance is a big issue in many parts of the world, especially Africa. According to Gates, Nana Kofi Quakyi from the Aurum Institute in Ghana is working on an AI-powered tool that will help healthcare workers prescribe antibiotics that will not contribute to increasing resistance.
Personalized Tutors For Every Student: Having a personalized tutor who understands the difficulties and strengths of each student and tailors the training methodology accordingly is something that Gates is excited about.
Some of these tutors are already out there right now – like Khanmigo, MATHia, and Somanasi, which is currently under development.
Treating High-Risk Pregnancies: Gates said how a woman dies every two minutes while giving birth to a child. He highlighted that AI is currently being explored as an aid to address this problem, with the researchers at Armman working on a solution right now.
Assessing HIV Risk: A chatbot in South Africa is being used to help people assess the risk of HIV. Gates thinks this approach will help more women understand how much of a risk they are involved in and take appropriate action to protect themselves.
Making Access To Medical Information Easier: Having quick and easy access to a patient’s medical information is important in giving them the right treatment and care. This is an even bigger issue in countries where health information is poorly documented.
"The challenges we face feel a lot less daunting when you understand what exactly it will take to tackle them," Gates said, adding that there are several problems that researchers are trying to address. Some of these might not even be visible in 2024 or even 2025, but he believes that, over the longer term, AI will drastically speed up the research process.
Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.
Read Next: Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin’s Shrewd Negotiation Strategy Helped Swing Deal With Apple In 2007
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
