Billionaire philanthropist and former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates predicted a “massive technology boom” over the next decade as scientists continue to develop and fine-tune artificial intelligence (AI) in 2024.
Gates wrote in his annual blog post that 2023 was the first year he used AI for “work and serious reasons,” noting the industry now has a better understanding of what AI can and can’t do. He said scientists in 2024 will still be working to improve AI and how the technology can be used “to tackle big problems.”
He recalled a past trip to Senegal, where he met with scientists who are trying to develop AI projects, like using the technology to combat antibiotic resistance, create personalized tutors for students, treat high-risk pregnancies and assess people’s risk for HIV.
“Much of their work is in the earliest stages of development—there’s a good chance we won’t see any of them used widely in 2024 or even 2025,” Gates wrote. “Some might not even pan out at all. The work that will be done over the next year is setting the stage for a massive technology boom later this decade.”
He cautioned that these kinds of projects face numerous obstacles to be enacted in everyday life.
“There is a long road ahead for projects like these. Significant hurdles remain, like how to scale up projects without sacrificing quality and how to provide adequate backend access to ensure they remain functional over time. But I’m optimistic that we will solve them,” Gates said.
Gates also predicted high-income countries, like the United States, are about 18 to 24 months away from the general population using a “significant level” of AI. He said he expects to see “a comparable level of use” in African countries about three years from now, and remarked that AI could make the world “more equitable.”
“If we make smart investments now, AI can make the world a more equitable place. It can reduce or even eliminate the lag time between when the rich world gets an innovation and when the poor world does,” he said.