Throughout history, periods of major technological change have reshaped economies and transformed societies. The steam engine, electricity, and the internet are just a few of the innovations that have increased productivity, created new industries and jobs, and changed the lives of millions of people. Artificial intelligence is the newest chapter in that story.
Like the technologies that came before it, AI has the potential to transform economies and improve living standards. But history teaches us that the benefits of technological change are not always distributed evenly. This depends on a combination of sound policy, access to infrastructure and skills, and creating opportunities for everyone.
I was reminded of this recently during visits to Mozambique and South Africa, where I met farmers, nurses, teachers, and students, and saw how digital technology is already beginning to improve their lives.
Imagine a young farmer spotting signs of disease in his cassava crop. With a smartphone, he takes a photo and receives an immediate diagnosis and advice on how to respond. Technology helps him quickly protect his harvest and his livelihood without waiting for a specialist to arrive at the farm.
I met nurses using a digital clinic manual app to help them navigate clinical procedures step by step. Whether treating a patient, following treatment protocols, or checking the latest guidance, the app puts practical knowledge at their fingertips. This simple technology has the potential to help health workers deliver better care to more people.
These examples may seem modest, even low-tech. But for many developing countries, the greatest opportunity will not come from large-language AI models, which require enormous amounts of electricity, water, data, and computing power. Instead, the biggest opportunity will be from practical applications that help people solve everyday problems.
That technology exists today. The question is whether these opportunities will be widely available to many, or only a few.
At the World Bank Group, this question is shaping our approach to AI. Our focus is on helping countries use AI to improve lives, strengthen public services, increase productivity, and create jobs.
That begins with investing in the foundations of digital opportunity: reliable electricity, affordable connectivity, stronger digital skills, modern regulatory frameworks, and the infrastructure needed for innovation to flourish.
It also means supporting practical AI solutions that address real development challenges.
We often describe this as “small AI” solutions designed to work within local realities, using local data, local languages, and everyday devices with existing infrastructure.
These tools can support frontline health workers, assist teachers in classrooms, and provide small businesses with market information and access to credit that helps them grow. The solutions we are pursuing are replicable, scalable, and can compress decades of development into days—and even minutes.
Most importantly, they can bring the benefits of AI to people who might otherwise be left behind. This matters because the world is entering a period of profound economic change.
The World Bank Group’s latest Global Economic Prospects report highlights AI’s potential to become an important source of productivity growth and investment at a time when the global economy is facing a structural slowdown.
By 2035, 1.2 billion young people in emerging market and developing economies will reach working age. Current projections suggest that only around 400 million jobs will be created during that same period.
Behind these numbers are young people seeking the chance to work, support families, contribute to their communities, and build better lives. For them, the real test is whether AI expands opportunity and supports job creation. This is why the discussion about AI is also a discussion about people and their trust in technology. Trust will depend on whether AI is reliable, safe, and built on strong data.
I am optimistic about what AI can achieve. The choices we make today about infrastructure, affordability, skills, data governance, and inclusion will determine whether AI widens existing divides or helps close them. With the right policies, AI can reduce inequalities and expand opportunities.
When researchers, innovators, policymakers, and practitioners gather at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva this week, their goal should be to ensure that the benefits of AI reach everyone: the farmer in Mozambique, the nurse in a rural clinic, and the young people seeking new skills.
Years from now, AI’s success will be measured not by the power of its models or the efficiency it unlocked, but rather by whether these models earned our trust, expanded opportunities, advanced the public good, and improved millions of lives.
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