AI could become a powerful driver of economic growth and improved public services in developing countries, provided governments focus on adopting and adapting existing AI tools rather than trying to build cutting-edge AI models, according to the World Bank's World Development Report 2026: The Promise of AI, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The report describes AI as a general-purpose technology, comparable to steam power, electricity, and the internet, but spreading much faster. While earlier transformative technologies took decades to reach lower-income countries, middle-income economies accounted for half of ChatGPT's global traffic within six months of its launch, highlighting the speed of AI adoption.
According to the World Bank, AI offers developing countries a historic opportunity to address longstanding shortages of expertise by helping doctors diagnose diseases, supporting teachers, improving weather forecasting, assisting farmers, and strengthening public services. However, realizing these benefits depends on reliable electricity, internet access, education systems, and institutions, as well as adapting AI tools to local languages and conditions.
The report argues that most developing economies should prioritize three stages of AI development: adopting existing technologies, adapting them to local needs, and only later considering more advanced domestic AI development. Building frontier AI models requires enormous investments in chips, data centers, computing power, training data, and highly skilled researchers, making it unrealistic for most countries in the near term.
Instead, governments are encouraged to deploy off-the-shelf AI applications that can improve productivity and public services while investing in the infrastructure and skills needed for broader AI adoption. The report notes that AI systems developed for high-income countries often require local customization to perform effectively elsewhere.
The World Bank also warns that AI presents significant risks, including greater dependence on foreign technology, increased inequality, pressure on electricity and water supplies, the spread of misinformation, and potential job displacement in sectors such as call centers and entry-level business services. Nevertheless, it concludes that developing countries generally have more to gain than to lose because fewer than 1 in 10 jobs are highly vulnerable to AI automation, while many more jobs could be enhanced by the technology.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the World Bank invited Kazakhstan to join its Digital Compact global strategy.