Philanthropist Melinda French Gates has called on the emerging generation of wealthy tech workers benefiting from the artificial intelligence boom to commit a significant share of their future fortunes to philanthropy.
Her remarks come amid expectations of a new wave of billionaires and millionaires following major IPOs from companies linked to the AI sector, including SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic.
Speaking to Fortune, Gates encouraged high earners and investors to pledge early to giving, rather than waiting until later in life.
“Commit now to giving at least half of it away. No matter what it turns out to be, no matter how large or small it turns out to be. If you can invest in these IPOs, believe me, you have the ability to give half away,” she said.
Gates argued that extreme wealth carries social responsibility, noting that many of America’s richest individuals have benefited from public systems such as education, infrastructure, and healthcare.
She suggested that individuals who gain from these systems should consider giving back meaningfully to society.
According to the report, more than 250 philanthropists have already signed a commitment to donate at least half of their wealth.
Signatories include MacKenzie Scott, Canva co-founders Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, and Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky.
Since stepping away from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which she co-founded with her former husband, Gates has focused her efforts through her organisation, Pivotal, which targets social change initiatives.
She recently committed $215 million toward women’s midlife health and menopause research as part of her ongoing philanthropic work.
Gates also noted that she is particularly concerned about billionaire behaviour that fails to reflect adequate social responsibility, stressing the importance of long-term impact over personal accumulation of wealth.
