Bill Gates and OpenAI Join Forces to Launch A.I. Health Program in Africa
The Gates Foundation is teaming up with OpenAI on a $50 million initiative to strengthen A.I.-powered health care across Africa. The effort will begin in Rwanda and aims to reach 1,000 primary health clinics over the next two years. Much of the attention around A.I. in health care has focused on drug discovery, Gates noted while speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, today (Jan. 21). “But I would say it’s even more important that A.I. will be used on the delivery side,” added the Microsoft co-founder, whose private foundation is the largest in the world with an $86 billion endowment as of July.
Known as Horizon1000, the project will deploy large language models and machine learning to bolster primary health care systems, support frontline workers, and assist with patient intake, triage, referrals and access to health information in local languages. Over time, the initiative will expand into countries like Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria, Gates said.
OpenAI’s involvement in the collaboration marks one of its first major philanthropic initiatives. The ChatGPT-maker boasts a unique corporate structure, with the OpenAI Foundation holding a roughly 26 percent stake in the company’s for-profit side. “You’ll see more and more from them on the philanthropic side,” said Gates, noting that OpenAI is building out its foundation and that he regularly speaks with Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO.
“A.I. is going to be a scientific marvel no matter what, but for it to be a societal marvel, we’ve got to figure out ways that we can use this incredible technology to improve people’s lives,” said Altman in a statement.
The partnership arrives at a pivotal moment for global health. For the first time this century, global child mortality rates are expected to rise: 4.8 million children are estimated to have died in 2025, up from 4.6 million in 2024. “That’s because donors cut money,” said Gates, who has linked the reversal to widespread declines in aid budgets from wealthy nations like the U.S.
Through Horizon1000, Gates aims to counter those setbacks by augmenting—but not replacing—health care workers with A.I. Sub-Saharan Africa, which has the world’s highest child mortality rate, faces a shortage of nearly 6 million health care workers, while Rwanda has just one health care worker per 1,000 people. By equipping workers with A.I. tools, the Gates Foundation and OpenAI hope to narrow that gap, which contributes to the 6 to 8 million deaths that occur each year in low and middle-income countries.
Even as global funding dwindles, A.I. has emerged as a source of optimism. Beyond health care, Gates has pointed to its potential to personalize education and reduce inequality in agriculture. “A.I. is going to help us do more with less,” he said in Davos.
OpenAI will not be the foundation’s only partner in this effort, Gates added. The foundation plans to “mix and match” with companies including Microsoft, Google and Anthropic. “The tech giants, including OpenAI, do want to devote some of their resources to helping the world at large,” said Gates. “They will be partners on a lot of these things.”