- The World Bank states that AI can help developing economies achieve results equivalent to 100 years of development in about a decade if they invest quickly in electricity, internet, and digital skills.
- The report argues that low- and middle-income countries have more to gain from AI than they have to fear regarding job losses.
- Chief Economist Indermit Gill calls AI a “lifeline” for developing economies and urges nations to seize this opportunity.
- The World Bank emphasizes that countries do not need massive investment or to develop their own large language models but can deploy small, low-cost AI tools tailored to local conditions.
- AI can support doctors in shortening diagnosis times, teachers in improving lesson plans, farmers in selecting crops and planting times more effectively, and enhancing the quality of judicial services.
- The IMF estimates AI could help the Sub-Saharan African economy grow by about 4% in the next decade under the right conditions.
- Generative AI only threatens about 4.5% of jobs in low- and middle-income countries, much lower than the 14.2% in developed economies.
- The proportion of jobs that could significantly benefit from productivity gains reaches 16.2% in developing economies, nearly equivalent to the 18.7% in rich countries.
- The World Bank recommends that governments expand infrastructure for electricity, internet, smartphones, computing devices, and digital skills training, while warning that AI could increase income inequality, misinformation, and political suppression if mismanaged.
📌 The World Bank report suggests that AI opens a rare opportunity for developing economies to narrow the gap with rich countries. With only 4.5% of jobs at risk of being affected—far lower than the 14.2% in developed economies—AI’s benefits are judged to outweigh the risks if countries invest correctly in infrastructure, connectivity, and skills. However, missing the AI wave could cause developing countries to fall further behind for decades to come.
