Artificial intelligence has brought a glimmer of hope to developing economies, and they should seize it," Indermit Gill, an economist at the World Bank Group, said when the organization released its annual World Development Report.
He added: "They do not need big models or giant data centers to reap the benefits from it", while supporting the adjustment of low-cost AI tools to suit local conditions to bring results in the fields of health, education, justice and agriculture.
Advanced artificial intelligence models - mainly developed in the US and China - provide the ability to analyze data quickly and automate many tasks that would otherwise require highly skilled people to perform.
However, these AI models require huge data centers and a large amount of complex computing power, consuming huge amounts of electricity and water - which can cause consequences for climate change.
According to the World Bank, developing economies are experiencing the weakest average growth period in the past 3 decades. Artificial intelligence could improve that by the end of this decade, while bringing practical benefits to humans.
The report calls on countries to use artificial intelligence (AI) to "help expand medical, legal, educational and agricultural services that are costly for billions of people who have not yet accessed – completing in a decade things that could take a century without AI.
The Bank's new report recommends that developing countries should start using native AI tools and solutions right now, invest in electricity production and distribution; expand access to computing capabilities; and improve the availability of local data.
Artificial intelligence brings a unique opportunity to solve problems that have existed and are not solved for many generations," expert Gaurav Nayyar said.
According to the World Bank, more than 6.8 billion people, or 83% of the human population, are living in low-income and developing countries, and artificial intelligence tools need to be adjusted to meet their needs.
The World Bank report gives examples of artificial intelligence applications in governance, such as increasing the number of diabetes screenings in Bangladesh, or reducing costs for Indian farmers through advanced weather forecasting.
In addition, experts from the World Bank emphasize that solutions need to meet the needs of people in all circumstances, including those who are illiterate or unable to afford smartphones.
