Bill Gates says AI will sit in on how his foundation decides to spend $10 billion in 2027, and some sessions let it speak up unprompted. "Our foundation does these strategy reviews. We spend two weeks in October to set how we're going to spend our 10 billion next year for 2027." "This year amongst the inputs we'll have to that discussion is taking the strategy notes and actually engaging in a dialogue with ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and even having them talk with each other." "And in a few of the reviews, we'll actually have the AI sit in. In a few cases we'll tell it, hey, only speak if we ask you. And then in a few other cases we'll say, hey, if you hear something you think is wrong ... please engage." "We've gone from it being a joke to it will be a peer, not making any final decisions, but it will be a peer in deep, complex, strategic discussions making a significant contribution." - Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder and Gates Foundation chair, on The Ezra Klein Show (New York Times Opinion). Uploaded September 29, 2026.