The Gates Foundation has announced a strategic partnership with $1.8 million in funding to scale Proto’s AI-based chatbot and complaints management system across six low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Africa and Asia.
This initiative, aimed at broadening access to consumer protection mechanisms, aligns with the Foundation’s commitment to advancing financial inclusion and protecting the most vulnerable. The funding contributes to a global supervisory technology scale-up initiative by Proto and its implementation partners.
Proto’s citizen engagement chatbots, already in use by government agencies from the Philippines to Rwanda, help supervisory bodies manage consumer complaints efficiently in local languages like Tagalog and Kinyarwanda. This solution streamlines case management and makes recourse available to underserved populations.
Data-based approach to tackling consumer harm
Proto’s previous deployments showcase the transformational power of AI-powered complaints management systems. In the Philippines, Proto is deployed by the Department of Trade & Industry, Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Central Bank of the Philippines, where over 76% of financial consumer complaints and 500,000 citizen interactions per month were automated last year.
This global benchmark for AI consumer protection was replicated in Rwanda, where the central bank deployed the Proto consumer protection chatbot across 591 financial institutions and achieved an 80% year-on-year growth in consumer recourse interactions.
Gates Foundation Director of Digital Financial Service Supervision, Anna Wallace, said, “We know from research, for example in Senegal, that 90% of digital financial service consumers have encountered challenges, with 40% losing money as a result. With Proto’s AI-based complaints management system, we can equip government agencies in LMICs to identify and mitigate such risks more effectively, building consumer trust in critical services.”
The Gates Foundation’s funding aligns with its Digital Financial Services (DFS) Supervision & Consumer Protection Strategy, which aims to encourage financial inclusion by reducing the risks associated with the rapid expansion of digital financial services. The growth of digital systems has brought millions of individuals, especially in Africa and Southeast Asia, into formal service networks. However, these new consumers face risks such as fraud, hidden charges, and data misuse.
Protecting consumers with AI for whole-of-government
Automated grievance systems like Proto reduce the time and cost involved in resolving complaints, giving vulnerable consumers a voice. Leveraging AI, the Proto solution enables real-time data collection, which regulators can use to track emerging risks and respond quickly, ensuring that the most vulnerable are protected from exploitation.
This technology is particularly vital in Africa, where digital inclusion has grown exponentially in recent years. From mobile money services to telemedicine, many individuals in rural areas now have access to basic services. However, these gains can be easily undone if consumer trust is eroded by unresolved disputes or fraud. Proto’s AI-powered chatbots, with their ability to operate in multiple local languages and across communication channels like WhatsApp and SMS, ensure that even those in the most remote areas have access to the protection they need.
Department of Trade & Industry of the Philippines Undersecretary, Mary Jean Pacheco, said, “We are excited to expand Proto’s technology as we adopt a whole-of-government approach to automating citizen engagement and complaints across several government agencies with a consumer protection responsibility. This is mandated by the recent Internet Transactions Act, which established our e-Commerce Bureau to ensure an integrated technological approach for rapidly assisting citizens.”
The Philippines presents an immediate opportunity to scale Proto’s AI system on a national level. With over 50 government agencies mandated to integrate under the country’s Internet Transactions Act, the Gates Foundation and Proto are poised to transform the way consumer protection is delivered.
Sustainable deployments through shared service procurement
A key feature of the scale-up initiative is its sustainable scale-up approach, in which the technology is initially sponsored by supporters like the Gates Foundation but gradually transitions to a cost-sharing model between participating government agencies. This ensures that the system is affordable and can continue functioning after the sponsorship period ends.
Proto CEO, Curtis Matlock, said, “This scale-up model goes beyond introducing new technology; it’s about creating an enduring model for government agencies to share in a viable procurement cost. Together, we’re moving from single-agency deployments to an integrated national solution that serves millions of citizens as efficiently as possible. Cost is no longer a barrier to protecting consumers.”
This approach is being demonstrated in the Philippines, where agencies cover their share of licensing fees under the Internet Transactions Act. By reducing the per-agency cost through shared service integration, even under-resourced agencies are able to participate in this cutting-edge consumer protection system.
The goal is to replicate this model across LMICs in Africa, ensuring that governments can maintain AI-driven consumer protection systems without depending on external funding indefinitely.
About the Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Co-chairs Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates and the board of trustees.
