The Bill Gates Foundation recently pledged $1 billion toward developing and deploying equitable artificial intelligence tools for schools, frontline healthcare workers, and farmers worldwide. Of this $1 billion, the largest single share of that funding — 40 percent, or $400 million — is earmarked directly for education. The foundation plans to direct those resources toward AI-powered tutoring systems designed to personalize instruction in classrooms both across the United States and abroad.
Mamdani and Schools Chancellor announced a moratorium on student-facing generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) use in schools, alongside a new screen time policy, a decision that will impact nearly 600,000 public school students, or two-thirds of the system’s total enrollment. The policy establishes a one-year moratorium, effective in the 2026-2027 school year, on student-facing generative AI for children in 2-K through 8th grade. In May 2025, Bill Gates announced that Gates Foundation will close its operations. I will give away virtually all my wealth through the Gates Foundation over the next 20 years to the cause of saving and improving lives around the world. And on December 31, 2045, the foundation will close its doors permanently.
Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels announced a moratorium on student-facing generative AI. The skepticism is already shaping policy in some states in the US. It also introduces twice-yearly AI critical thinking modules for high schoolers, limited AI pilots for a small number of high school classrooms and age-appropriate screen time restrictions. In a note on Gates Notes, he wrote, “That is why I have decided to give my money back to society much faster than I had originally planned. “