Bill Gates Foundation to shutdown in 2045; by that year it aims to help millions of Americans with a skill it donated $400 million for; but why some ‘do not agree with this ‘gift’
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.The $400 million investment marks a major financial bet on a technology that entered widespread commercial use only a few years ago. It fits within a broader US education framework the foundation introduced in July, which targets helping up to 10 million more Americans secure career-advancing credentials of value before the organization concludes its operations in 2045.The donation also lands amid an escalating debate over the efficacy of digital tools in primary and secondary education. As school districts worldwide weigh classroom screen time, data privacy, and the measurable academic impact of recent tech adoptions, the foundation’s venture signals a concerted effort to demonstrate that targeted, adaptive AI can deliver tangible outcomes rather than another cycle of tech-driven disruption.The skepticism is already shaping policy in some states in the US. Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels announced a moratorium on student-facing generative AI. 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. 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.
What Bill Gates said on the donation
“The Gates Foundation was created in part to address a basic market failure: the people with the greatest needs often have the least power to shape where innovation and investment go,” writes Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, in the report. “Much of our work has been about closing that gap. AI presents the same challenge, only at much greater speed. Left to the market alone, the most capable tools will be built first for the people and institutions most able to pay for them—not necessarily for those who could benefit most.”Gates adds, “We can harness AI for good. But it won’t happen by accident.” He further writes, “[I]t requires a deliberate, specific commitment from government leaders and the companies developing the technology: to measure success not only by what AI can do for the most profitable users but by what it can do for the people who stand the most to gain.”
Gates Foundation to shut down in 2045
In May 2025, Bill Gates announced that Gates Foundation will close its operations. 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. 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.“
