The World Bank is urging developing countries to invest in affordable artificial intelligence (AI) tools designed to address local challenges, saying the technology could create jobs, improve public services and unlock new economic opportunities.
The call was made during the World Bank Group Meetings on October 18, 2026, where global leaders and technology experts discussed how accessible AI solutions could improve productivity and help more people start and grow businesses.
Singaporean leader Tharman Shanmugaratnam said the growing accessibility of AI was changing how people work and run businesses, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurship.
The discussions focused on “Small AI” — affordable tools designed to perform specific tasks without requiring expensive computing systems or reliable high-speed internet connections.
World Bank Backs AI Solutions for Local Needs
Participants highlighted the potential of locally adapted AI tools to improve agriculture, healthcare, education, skills development and small businesses.
The World Bank says countries need to invest in digital infrastructure, technical training, locally relevant data and responsible governance to ensure AI solutions move beyond pilot projects and deliver practical benefits.
Its October 2026 report, Africa Economic Update: Building AI Readiness, warns that African countries and languages remain underrepresented in global AI training datasets.
The report notes that approximately 2,000 languages are spoken across Africa, while an estimated 56 per cent of open-source training data is exclusively in English.
This imbalance could limit the ability of AI systems to understand African languages, local businesses and the challenges facing communities across the continent.
The World Bank argues that adapting AI to local data, languages and economic needs could deliver significant benefits for Sub-Saharan Africa.
African AI Innovation Gains Attention
One example highlighted in the report is InkubaLM, a small language model developed by African AI company Lelapa AI.
The model was trained using isiZulu, Yoruba, Hausa, Swahili and isiXhosa, demonstrating how technology can be developed to serve communities that are often underrepresented in global AI systems.
However, expanding locally developed AI tools remains challenging because many countries face shortages of computing resources, digital infrastructure and specialised technical skills.
The World Bank says regional cooperation could help African countries share expertise and reduce the cost of developing AI applications for languages with smaller digital markets.
Infrastructure and Skills Remain Major Challenges
The institution also emphasises the importance of establishing clear rules on data ownership, privacy, consent and benefit-sharing when communities contribute language resources used to train AI systems.
Reliable electricity, affordable internet access and digital skills are also essential for ensuring businesses and ordinary citizens can benefit from the technology.
Rather than focusing only on the number of languages an AI model supports, the World Bank says countries should assess whether the tools are accurate, affordable and useful in people’s daily lives.
The institution believes that investments in locally relevant AI applications, digital infrastructure and skills could help developing economies improve productivity, strengthen public services and expand access to economic opportunities.
For African countries, the challenge will be ensuring that AI development responds to local needs while making its benefits accessible to businesses and communities across different income groups.