Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said Wednesday that artificial intelligence would play a key role in developing new tools for health, education and agriculture, during a meeting with the Indonesian president.
"AI (artificial intelligence) will help us discover new tools. And even in providing advice on health, education, and agriculture, we will use AI," Gates said in Jakarta, where he was received by President Prabowo Subianto.
With a population of 280 million, Indonesia is Southeast Asia's largest economy in a region seeing growing demand for data centers and AI technologies.
"Once we eradicate polio, we would also like to eradicate measles and malaria. We have new tools for that. And of course, part of my optimism about this innovation comes from the fact that we now have artificial intelligence," Gates added.
United Nations agencies have been campaigning for four decades to eradicate polio.
Typically transmitted through sewage and contaminated water, the poliovirus is highly infectious. It can cause deformities and paralysis and is potentially fatal, primarily affecting children under five.
Billionaire and philanthropist, the co-founder of the giant Microsoft, has donated more than $159 million (€140 million) to Indonesia since 2009, mainly to the health sector, notably to finance vaccines, Mr. Prabowo said.
After meeting with the Indonesian president, Mr. Gates visited with him a primary school in Jakarta where students receive free meals as part of a major program launched by Prabowo.
The latter also announced his intention to award Mr. Gates Indonesia's highest civilian honor for his "contribution to the Indonesian people and the world."
Last year, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella pledged a $1.7 billion (€1.5 billion) investment in AI and cloud to help develop AI infrastructure in Indonesia.
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