India · The Guardian Technology
World Bank confirms ‘small AI’ could transform developing countries
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 source. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
◌ Single Source
The World Bank is urging developing countries to kickstart the creation of “small AI” models, which can run on a mobile phone with low connectivity, to reap the full benefits of artificial intelligence.
Key facts
- Donohoe said the World Bank had mobilised $120bn (£90bn) of private capital in the past year using guarantees and other financial instruments, at a time when many countries, including the US
- While Silicon Valley big tech firms are focused on ever more sophisticated consumer products, Paschal Donohoe, the World Bank’s chief knowledge officer, said AI could also accelerate development
- The impact of AI on jobs and growth is a central theme of the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which are being held this week in Bangkok, Thailand
- Under its president, Ajay Banga, the World Bank has made attracting private-sector funding into emerging economies a focus of its work
Summary
While Silicon Valley big tech firms are focused on ever more sophisticated consumer products, Paschal Donohoe, the World Bank’s chief knowledge officer, said AI could also accelerate development for emerging economies, but only if it was adapted to local needs. Small AI uses specialised models that are trained using narrower datasets for a specific purpose. “We argue that economic development in the countries that we serve and partner with that could have taken centuries to make happen, the potential is there for that economic development now to happen within decades,” Donohoe said. “Small AI would be available in a local setting, with low connectivity, and in the local language of the community, and tends to be available on your mobile phone.”