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Bill Gates has highlighted artificial intelligence as a vital force for innovation in global health, education, and agriculture during a visit to Indonesia, where he met with President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday.
During his stop in Jakarta, the Microsoft co-founder joined discussions with local philanthropists and leaders, expressing his belief that AI will be crucial in creating and delivering new tools to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems.
“AI will help us discover new tools. Whether it’s improving how we deliver health care, provide education or give agricultural advice, AI will play a major role,” Gates said at the meeting.
He also reiterated his commitment to disease eradication efforts, noting the ongoing global push to eliminate polio and expressing hopes to target measles and malaria next. “I’m optimistic about the tools we now have, particularly with AI, to help us in those efforts,” he added.
The visit comes as Indonesia—home to around 280 million people and Southeast Asia’s largest economy—continues expanding its digital infrastructure to meet growing demand for data centres and AI technologies.
Since 2009, Gates has donated over $159 million to Indonesia, primarily towards health initiatives such as vaccine programmes, according to President Prabowo.
As part of his visit, Gates also toured an elementary school in Jakarta with Prabowo to observe a free school meals programme championed by the president. In recognition of his contributions, Prabowo announced that Gates would receive Indonesia’s highest civilian honour for his service to both the country and the global community.
The meeting follows Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s pledge last year to invest $1.7 billion into AI and cloud computing in Indonesia, underlining the nation’s growing role in regional tech development.
