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The World Bank Group (WBG) says AI could allow developing countries to achieve in a decade what might otherwise take a century, provided governments act quickly to build the foundations needed for adoption.<\/p>\n
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In the World Development Report 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence, WBG said AI offers developing economies a major opportunity to improve productivity, public services and economic growth.<\/p>\n
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The report found that jobs in high-income countries are more than three times as likely to be exposed to automation by generative AI than jobs in low- and middle-income countries.<\/p>\n
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According to WBG, 4.5% of existing jobs in developing economies are at risk, compared with 14.2% in high-income countries. However, 16.2% of jobs in developing economies could see productivity meaningfully boosted by AI, close to the 18.7% expected in high-income economies.<\/p>\n
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WBG Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Indermit Gill said developing countries should move quickly to seize the opportunity. \u201cAI has thrown developing economies a lifeline, and they should seize it,\u201d Gill said.<\/p>\n
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Gill said developing countries do not need large models or major data centres to benefit from AI. \u201cBy adapting small, low-cost AI tools to local conditions, they can bring better medical care, education, judicial services and agricultural extension within reach of millions,\u201d Gill said.<\/p>\n
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According to the report, AI is already helping people, businesses and governments solve problems, analyse information, improve forecasts and deliver services at scale.<\/p>\n
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WBG said these tools are especially useful in countries where trained professionals, reliable records and public-sector capacity are limited.<\/p>\n
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AI could help doctors diagnose patients, support farmers with crop decisions, improve business productivity and strengthen government services, including tax collection, social programmes, disaster response, healthcare and education.<\/p>\n
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However, the report warned that the opportunity is not guaranteed. Many developing economies still lack reliable electricity, internet access, data, skills and strong institutions.<\/p>\n
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Without deliberate action, WBG said AI could widen gaps between countries, increase inequality, concentrate market power, weaken trust in public institutions and create new risks for safety, rights and social cohesion.<\/p>\n
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The report recommends a three-step approach: adopt existing AI tools, adapt them to local conditions and advance towards frontier AI development over time.<\/p>\n
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World Development Report 2026 Director Gaurav Nayyar said the window for action is limited. \u201cThe window to get this right is narrow,\u201d Nayyar said.<\/p>\n
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Nayyar said countries that invest now in power, connectivity, skills and institutions will be better positioned to use AI for development.<\/p>\n
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In sub-Saharan Africa, nearly one-third of rural schools still lack reliable electricity, while more than two-thirds lack dependable internet access.<\/p>\n
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WBG said Mission 300, which aims to provide electricity access to 300 million people across sub-Saharan Africa by 2030, will help lay the foundation for broader digital and AI inclusion.<\/p>\n
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The report also said countries need better access to computing power, stronger local data systems and more content in local languages to ensure AI tools respond to local needs.<\/p>\n
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WBG said governments should also make it easier for new firms to attract investment, test ideas and scale successful solutions.<\/p>\n
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The report warned that public trust will be essential. Governments should begin with voluntary industry standards for responsible AI use, supported by international cooperation.<\/p>\n
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WBG said existing laws should be applied where voluntary measures fail, especially to protect privacy, prevent bias and reduce harm.<\/p>\n
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The report concluded that AI could become a powerful development tool, but only if countries act now to ensure the technology is affordable, locally relevant and trusted.<\/p>\n
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–WorldBank\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":41516,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-41515","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The World Bank says artificial intelligence (AI) could help developing countries accelerate growth if governments close gaps in power, connectivity, skills and institutions.","published_date":"","news_description":"The World Bank says artificial intelligence (AI) could help developing countries accelerate growth if governments close gaps in power, connectivity, skills and institutions.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/41515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/41515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41517,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/41515\/revisions\/41517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=41515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}