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A fireside chat featuring Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group (WBG) and Dr. James Manyika, Senior Vice President at Google, as a part of the WBG's Global Digital Summit 2025, highlighted the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI) in global development. However, it also emphasized the urgent need to close the AI divide, particularly in emerging economies, where inadequate infrastructure and limited access to advanced technology threaten to widen socio-economic gaps. This must first be tackled to ensure AI benefits are equitably distributed, lest emerging economies risk being left behind as AI accelerates development in other parts of the world.
THE ROLE OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
Throughout the discussion, the two leaders talked about the interplay between digital infrastructure and human capital. Google's Dr. Manyika emphasized that basic infrastructure—such as electricity and broadband access—remains a significant obstacle for developing nations seeking to harness AI's potential. This notion was supported by the WBG's head, who reiterated the bank's commitment to delivering electricity to 300 million people in Africa and to investing in digital literacy and connectivity infrastructure worldwide. In addition to that, Dr. Manyika alluded to Google's efforts to expand access to AI tools through open models and its recent milestone of training over 100 million people in digital skills. All in all, both agreed that such a collaborative approach is essential to ensure emerging economies can leverage AI for public service delivery and economic inclusion.
AI TO TRANSFORM PUBLIC SERVICES
Beyond infrastructure, the conversation also touched on AI's capacity to revolutionize public services, particularly in healthcare and agriculture. Dr. Manyika shared compelling examples of AI's real-world impact, including AI-powered tuberculosis diagnostics in Zambia and India, where algorithms now match the accuracy of expert physicians. Besides, the Google chief also shed light on how AI is used to forecast natural disasters such as floods and wildfires, enhancing disaster preparedness in vulnerable regions. The WBG president, meanwhile, framed these innovations within a broader development agenda, highlighting that supporting the public sector through advanced technology is key to addressing the demographic challenges emerging economies face.
A POLICY ENABLEMENT
The chat ended with the notion that supportive policy environments are essential to fostering AI adoption while managing its risks. The WBG leader stressed the importance of regulatory sandboxes that allow innovation while establishing clear guardrails for data privacy and ethical AI use. At the same time, Google's Dr. Manyika echoed this sentiment, cautioning that without enabling policies, the potential societal benefits of AI—such as improving education and healthcare—may not be realized. As it is universally acknowledged that AI will continue to evolve rapidly, it becomes clearer that regulators must adopt a collaborative approach with the private sector to ensure that the harmful effects of AI are minimized and its benefits are shared equitably across the globe.
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While AI holds immense potential to drive global development, realizing its benefits requires a coordinated effort to bridge the digital divide. Now, the need for robust infrastructure, digital skills, and supportive policy frameworks to ensure AI serves as a force for inclusive growth rather than deepening existing inequalities has never become more critical. As such, the path forward lies in fostering collaboration across governments, the private sector, and multilateral institutions. When foundational systems and enabling environments exist, the world can harness AI’s transformative power to create a more equitable and prosperous future for all.
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