WORLD - The World Bank sees artificial intelligence as an opportunity for developing countries to accelerate growth, provided they strengthen digital readiness and invest in capacity building.
The World Bank has stated that artificial intelligence (AI) could represent an unprecedented opportunity for developing countries to achieve development progress that would have otherwise taken nearly a century, within just one decade, if they succeed in addressing gaps related to electricity, internet access, and digital skills.
The statement came in the World Development Report 2026, which highlighted that emerging economies have more to gain from AI than to fear, noting that the impact of job displacement caused by this technology is expected to be significantly lower in low- and middle-income countries compared with wealthier nations.
World Bank Chief Economist Indermit Gill said that “artificial intelligence has thrown a lifeline to developing economies, and they need to seize it,” urging these countries to accelerate efforts to benefit from emerging technologies.
The report indicated that generative AI could affect around 14.2% of jobs in high-income countries, compared with only 4.5% in low- and middle-income economies. At the same time, productivity gains from AI could benefit 16.2% of jobs in developing economies, compared with 18.7% in high-income countries.
The World Bank noted that developing countries do not necessarily need to create massive and costly AI models to benefit from the technology. Instead, they can rely on smaller and more affordable tools adapted to their local needs.
According to the report, these tools could help improve medical diagnosis, support teachers in preparing lessons, assist farmers in making better decisions about crops and planting schedules, and contribute to the development of government and judicial services.
The report also referred to International Monetary Fund estimates suggesting that AI could increase the size of economies in Sub-Saharan Africa by around 4% over the next decade, provided that the right conditions are in place to benefit from the technology.
The World Bank stressed that achieving these gains requires improving electricity supply, expanding access to the internet, increasing the availability of digital devices, and investing in human skills development.
The report also warned of challenges linked to the misuse of AI, including widening income inequalities, the spread of more sophisticated misinformation, and the potential use of technology to reinforce political repression.
Despite these challenges, the World Bank emphasized that developing countries have an opportunity to transform AI into a driver of growth and development if they accelerate investments in digital infrastructure, energy, and human capital.
