How Project Gecko is rewiring AI for local languages and global impact
Generative AI powers apps and tools that help millions of people get things done faster and smarter, but it doesn’t serve everyone equally. Communities that aren’t well represented online often get left behind because most AI models learn from internet data. That means performance drops in many languages and cultural contexts, as well as in places where less-developed infrastructure makes access harder.
Project Gecko, led by Microsoft Research, aims to close those gaps so everyone — from farmers in Kenya to rural housewives in India — can tap into affordable, adaptable AI. These tailorable systems deliver vital expertise in local languages, with culturally relevant content and multiple modes including text, voice and video. Learn more on the Microsoft Research Blog.
From blocks to bots: Minecraft brings adventure to AI coding
Minecraft Education and Code.org’s Hour of AI turns coding into an epic quest. In “The First Night,” students use MakeCode and Python programming to teach a blocky Agent to recognize patterns, classify resources and coordinate mini-agent helpers – all while battling zombies. It’s coding meets adventure, with AI as your ultimate sidekick.
Microsoft’s new youth council aims to shape AI’s future responsibly
Microsoft is giving teens a voice in shaping AI’s future with the new AI Futures Youth Council. Alongside this, fresh research shows teens want transparency on how their data is used, worry about being excluded if they can’t verify their age and have mixed feelings about companies using biometric and behavioral data.
Land O’Lakes and Microsoft partnership expands to put AI in farmers’ hands
U.S. farms are vital to the nation’s food supply, but rising production costs, falling crop prices and declining farmable land are squeezing margins across operations of all size. Now, Land O’Lakes and Microsoft are teaming up to build AI tools like Oz, a digital assistant that will use Land O’Lakes data to help farmers optimize operations, boost yields and reduce risk.
An AI superfactory for creating complex new models
Microsoft has flipped the switch on a new class of AI datacenter – one that doesn’t stand alone but joins a dedicated network of sites functioning as an AI superfactory to train bigger AI models faster.
