The Gates Foundation and OpenAI are launching a $50 million partnership aimed at helping several African countries use artificial intelligence to strengthen their health systems and soften the impact of recent international aid cuts, Bill Gates said on Wednesday.
The initiative, known as Horizon1000, will work closely with African leaders to identify the most effective ways to apply AI in healthcare, beginning with Rwanda.
“In poorer countries with enormous health worker shortages and lack of health systems infrastructure, AI can be a gamechanger in expanding access to quality care,” Gates said in a blog post announcing the launch.
Speaking to Reuters in Davos on Wednesday, he said AI could help reverse setbacks caused by aid reductions, noting that funding cuts last year were followed by the first rise in preventable child deaths this century.
International aid cuts began with the United States at the start of 2025 and later spread to other major donors, including Britain and Germany.
The Gates Foundation estimates that global development assistance for health fell by just under 27% last year compared with 2024. Gates said AI could be especially important for countries hardest hit by these reductions.
“Using innovation, using AI, I think we can get back on track,” he told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that the technology would revolutionise healthcare.
“Our commitment is that that revolution will at least happen in the poor countries as quickly as it happens in the rich countries.”
Don’t Miss This:
Gates Foundation Pledges $2.5 Billion To Accelerate Women’s Health Research
The Gates Foundation has already launched several AI-focused initiatives, and Rwanda established an AI health hub in Kigali last year.
“It is about using AI responsibly to reduce the burden on healthcare workers, to improve the quality of care, and to reach more patients,” said Rwanda’s minister of information and communications technology and innovation, Paula Ingabire, in a video statement released on Wednesday.
Gates said Horizon1000 aims to reach 1,000 primary health clinics and surrounding communities across multiple countries by 2028, noting that some nations have as few as one doctor per 50,000 people even in large urban areas, far below levels seen in most high-income countries.
He told Reuters the programme would likely focus on improving care for pregnant women and people living with HIV by offering support and advice before they reach clinics, particularly when patients speak a different language from their healthcare providers.
Once patients arrive, AI would help cut down on paperwork and better connect medical histories with appointments, Gates said. “A typical visit, we think, can be about twice as fast and much better quality,” he added.
Don’t Miss This:
Bill Gates Pledges Majority Of His $200 Billion Fortune To Support Africa’s Development
Image Credit: Reuters
