Microsoft's Project Gecko: Bringing AI to places big tech usually misses

Technology Nov 18, 2025

Microsoft has launched Project Gecko, a new push to make AI actually useful for people in low-resource areas.
Instead of one-size-fits-all tech, Gecko is about building smaller, flexible AI tools that work with local languages and cultures—using real speech and video from the communities themselves.
First up: helping farmers get advice in their own language through the FarmerChat app.

What makes Gecko different?

A big piece of Gecko is MMCTAgent, an AI tool that can understand and respond with audio, images, or video—so it fits how people really communicate.
By working directly with communities (not just for them), Microsoft hopes this project will help close the tech gap and make AI more inclusive for everyone.