Microsoft Commits $50bn To Bridge AI Gap
Microsoft has pledged to invest $50bn by the end of the decade to expand access to artificial intelligence in lower-income countries, warning that uneven adoption of the technology risks deepening global inequality.
The commitment was announced on Wednesday at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, where technology leaders, policymakers and researchers are meeting to discuss how AI can be used to address economic and social challenges.
Speaking through a joint statement, Microsoft president Brad Smith and the company’s chief responsible AI officer, Natasha Crampton, said urgent action was needed to prevent a widening divide between countries that can adopt AI quickly and those that cannot.
“Artificial intelligence is spreading at remarkable speed, but its adoption remains profoundly uneven,” they said, adding that without coordinated global efforts, poorer nations risk being left behind.
Concerns about an emerging AI divide have grown in recent months. In December, the United Nations Development Programme called for international cooperation on AI standards and safety to ensure the technology benefits all countries rather than reinforcing existing economic advantages.
Microsoft said its $50bn commitment to developing economies by 2030 would support projects such as building data centres, expanding cloud infrastructure and improving internet access. By comparison, the company invested about $80bn in data centres globally last year, with more than half of that spending concentrated in the United States.
A recent Microsoft report found that AI adoption in high-income countries is roughly double that of lower-income regions, a gap the company said continues to widen. Smith and Crampton warned that this disparity could mirror the long-term economic consequences seen with unequal access to electricity and other foundational technologies.
They also argued that AI could offer developing economies a chance to accelerate growth if deployed effectively, particularly in countries with young and expanding populations.
The summit, hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, underscores India’s ambition to position itself as a leader in AI across the global south. Attendees include Sam Altman of OpenAI, Dario Amodei and Sundar Pichai, who is scheduled to deliver a keynote address later this week.
