WEBVTT - Bill Gates Talks AI and Fighting Malnutrition

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, radio News.

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<v Speaker 2>We want to welcome Bill Gates joining us to discuss

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<v Speaker 2>what is the Goalkeepers Report for twenty twenty four, the

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<v Speaker 2>title of which is the Race to Nourish a Warming World. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>in this report you talk of a global health boom

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<v Speaker 2>that we all experienced from the year twenty to twenty

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<v Speaker 2>twenty that has come to a screeching halt, and in

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<v Speaker 2>particular you single out the worst child health crisis being malnutrition.

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<v Speaker 2>Why is malnutrition such an issue?

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, So, the incredible progress we made since turn of

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<v Speaker 3>the century until it started pandemic, and it really should

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<v Speaker 3>be celebrated.

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<v Speaker 1>We brought a child to death.

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<v Speaker 3>Down from over ten million year to under five million,

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<v Speaker 3>and then it plateaued.

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<v Speaker 1>It plateaued, you.

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<v Speaker 3>Know, because of interest costs for the poor countries and

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<v Speaker 3>the pandemic itself. But we want to get back to

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<v Speaker 3>that rapid improvement. We do need to make products on

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<v Speaker 3>malnutrition to do that, because if you don't get the

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<v Speaker 3>right food when you're before you're born and in your

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<v Speaker 3>early years, your brain in your body never developed and

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<v Speaker 3>so your mental and physical capabilities are far far short

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<v Speaker 3>of what they should be, which is not only a

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<v Speaker 3>tragedy for you, but your country, where the young people

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<v Speaker 3>is the key driver for their economic growth, they get

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<v Speaker 3>into a poverty trap when they have very, very high malnutrition.

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<v Speaker 2>The long term implications for the individual clear. Can you

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<v Speaker 2>paint the economic impact of this? Have you risen the

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<v Speaker 2>data on it?

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, So.

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<v Speaker 3>The whole generation that's malnourished, then as they grow up,

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<v Speaker 3>your investments in educating them aren't going to work as

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<v Speaker 3>well your ability to move to higher pain activities. It

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<v Speaker 3>gets stalled. And without that engine of productivity, you don't

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<v Speaker 3>get the tax collection that lets you put even more

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<v Speaker 3>into the school system.

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<v Speaker 1>And so that's where you get prepped.

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<v Speaker 3>Particularly in Africa where the conditions are challenging. The population

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<v Speaker 3>growth makes it more challenging, and then climate change, which

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<v Speaker 3>is affecting the ability to grow food, is its most

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<v Speaker 3>negative effect, particularly near the equator.

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<v Speaker 2>In poor countries, I think a figure of some three

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<v Speaker 2>trillion dollars in productivity is lost. But sort of the

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<v Speaker 2>irony of all of this bill is that in many

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<v Speaker 2>ways the solutions aren't rocket science. It's about giving prenatal

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<v Speaker 2>nutrients to mothers in the form of a bit of

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<v Speaker 2>fullic acid or vitamins to be enriched. What else could

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<v Speaker 2>be done though, to more seriously impact and reduce this malnutrition.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, in the last ten years, we've gained a deep

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<v Speaker 3>understanding of what goes on that if you don't get

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<v Speaker 3>the right food, your actually your stomach gets inflamed and

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<v Speaker 3>then you can't even absorb the food that you're eating,

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<v Speaker 3>and that's partly you're not getting the right vitamins. You know,

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<v Speaker 3>we can help with that by making sure that during

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<v Speaker 3>pregnancy your mother gets those vitamins and then later that

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<v Speaker 3>the food you eat are fortified in the right ways.

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<v Speaker 3>And that can be done vary inexpensively and so cheap.

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<v Speaker 3>Solutions that are ready to scale dress almost half of

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<v Speaker 3>this problem. And then we have a pipeline of innovation

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<v Speaker 3>that'll go after the rest of it.

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<v Speaker 1>But it you know, it's.

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<v Speaker 3>Clear what we need to do to enable these kids

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<v Speaker 3>to achieve their potential.

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<v Speaker 2>Can you talk about that pipeline of innovation a little

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<v Speaker 2>bit more?

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<v Speaker 3>What excited you that, Well, what we've seen is that

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<v Speaker 3>the microbiome, which is the term for.

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<v Speaker 1>All the bacteria.

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<v Speaker 3>Growing in your gut, it can get into a bad state,

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<v Speaker 3>and so we want to get it back to that

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<v Speaker 3>non and flamed state. And one I approach that we're

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<v Speaker 3>trialing is actually to eat a probiotic. We're actually the

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<v Speaker 3>good bacteria get into your stomach and out compete the

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<v Speaker 3>bad bacteria. We think that will be quite beneficial.

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<v Speaker 1>You know.

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<v Speaker 3>We have that out in countries to see the effects,

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<v Speaker 3>and then we'd have to drive the price of that

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<v Speaker 3>down so that you can join these other tactics has

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<v Speaker 3>proven ways to help out all of these kids.

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<v Speaker 2>The innovation is obviously something we lean into when we

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<v Speaker 2>think ultimately of Bill Gates. You're the tech guy who's

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<v Speaker 2>every other question at the moment, I'm sure is about

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<v Speaker 2>generative AI. Is there anything within these new developments that

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<v Speaker 2>the whole world is obsessing about that is helping in

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<v Speaker 2>practical ways for malnutrition and for world health?

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<v Speaker 3>Well, the you know, malnutrition in some ways it's you know,

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<v Speaker 3>such a basic thing.

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<v Speaker 1>Uh.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, so we do need to raise money to

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<v Speaker 3>get resources for this so that the poor countries, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>get out of the poverty trap and then are are

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<v Speaker 3>self sufficient. The innovation, UH is going to accelerate tools

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<v Speaker 3>like AI or helping us understand that God the immune system,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, how to design vaccines UH in a in

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<v Speaker 3>a very deep way. And you know, the key thing

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<v Speaker 3>that the Foundation has innovation is making sure it's not

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<v Speaker 3>just helping the rich countries, but it's helping the poor

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<v Speaker 3>ust And so, you know, can they get medical advice

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<v Speaker 3>in their native language on their cell phone. Can they

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<v Speaker 3>have their diseases that are so ignored, like malaria, Can

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<v Speaker 3>we use AI to develop ways to not only reduce

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<v Speaker 3>that but eventually eradicate it. And so, you know, that's

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<v Speaker 3>where the Foundation is looking at the innovation and making

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<v Speaker 3>sure that it's benefiting those most in need.

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<v Speaker 2>The Foundation talking with global leaders often, I'm sure global

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<v Speaker 2>leaders of wealthy developed nations who are preoccupied right now

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<v Speaker 2>with their own political instabilities, their own worries about the

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<v Speaker 2>cost of living. Will you get the help you need

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<v Speaker 2>from developed nations? Do you think?

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<v Speaker 1>Now that's a very good question. You know.

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<v Speaker 3>The dream is that even in the face of huge

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<v Speaker 3>budgetary challenges that all countries have, that they would be

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<v Speaker 3>willing to have one to two percent that go to

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<v Speaker 3>help the poorest, to help help these countries move forward.

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<v Speaker 3>And these are things where you're saving a life for

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<v Speaker 3>less than a thousand dollars per life. Saved, so, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>very catalytic, very well measured. You know, I wouldn't be

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<v Speaker 3>putting my money in unless I knew that it was

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<v Speaker 3>extremely well spent. And so we're trying to keep this

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<v Speaker 3>on the agenda to continue that miracle that took place

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<v Speaker 3>where we made so much progress getting rid of childhood death.

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<v Speaker 2>You talk of that miracle, and I've got to ask you,

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<v Speaker 2>as someone who you know, almost sees us taking those

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<v Speaker 2>steps ahead, and then it feels as though something gets

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<v Speaker 2>in the way. Call it a war, call it a

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<v Speaker 2>global epidemic, and we take what feels like two steps back.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you ever just loose confidence? Do you ever feel

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<v Speaker 2>that this is a fight that caught me one?

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<v Speaker 3>Well, I will say that when we set the current

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<v Speaker 3>goals the United Nations, which are called the Sustainable Development Goals,

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<v Speaker 3>we didn't anticipate a pandemic. We didn't dissipate the financial

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<v Speaker 3>difficulties that the African countries would find themselves in paying

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<v Speaker 3>more in interest than they can for health and education.

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<v Speaker 3>And we didn't anticipate the wars that have broken out

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<v Speaker 3>both Ukraine and several others including the Middle East. And

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<v Speaker 3>so the goals we set for twenty thirty. You know,

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<v Speaker 3>you look back and you know it feels a bit naive,

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<v Speaker 3>but you know, every life saved really counts. You know,

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<v Speaker 3>here we're talking about millions of lives. We're talking about

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<v Speaker 3>making these countries stable, having health systems so that if

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<v Speaker 3>potential pandemics getting started, they can stop it before it

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<v Speaker 3>spreads globally, So not only the moral benefits, but the

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<v Speaker 3>global benefits are pretty strong. And yes, it's harder today

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<v Speaker 3>than it was a few years ago to get through

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<v Speaker 3>the noise level to get this cause to be heard.

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<v Speaker 3>But you know, because it's you know, it's about helping

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<v Speaker 3>other humans, I think we'll succeed.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, we're very committed to it.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, thank you for talking us through accelerating the progress

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<v Speaker 2>towards the global goals. Appreciate it, Bill Gates, Thank you

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<v Speaker 2>for your time.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you