Artificial intelligence (AI) has ceased being just a technological development; now, AI is one of the main drivers of economic growth, geopolitical power, and security. The countries that dominate in terms of AI will shape the future global economy. However, despite the fact that AI changes the world dramatically, many countries of the Global South are the users rather than creators of AI technologies.

This disparity may result in a new digital divide, but not in terms of access to the internet; the digital gap is going to be about who creates AI, manages data, makes rules, and reaps economic benefits from the development of AI.

The economic implications are massive. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) estimates that the global AI market will be worth US$4.8 trillion by 2033, becoming one of the largest industries in the world. Similarly, the International Monetary Fund has estimated that AI would affect 40 percent of the jobs in the world. Countries that create AI capacity are likely to benefit in terms of productivity, innovation, and competitiveness. Countries that miss out are unlikely to catch up.

AI Creation Among Few Countries 

Presently, AI creation is concentrated among a few countries, notably the US and China. These countries dominate the manufacture of semiconductors, cloud computing, frontier AI research, and venture capital investments. UNCTAD estimates that 100 firms are responsible for almost 40 percent of global corporate expenditure on research and development, with most of them from the US and China.

The importance of this concentration cannot be understated from a geopolitical perspective. AI is becoming increasingly important for defense strategies, cybersecurity, intelligence, and administrative services. The countries which develop AI technologies are those setting the international standards of data governance, ethics, and digital regulation. 

However, 118 countries, mostly developing ones, do not participate in international discussions on AI governance, according to UNCTAD. This means that billions of people may live within rules they were not involved in making.

Obstacles for Global South

There are several obstacles that developing nations face when dealing with AI. First of all, the access to reliable power supply, internet, cloud services, advanced computer centers, and research financing is limited. At the same time, there is a severe shortage of specialists since many AI researchers move abroad to have more opportunities for work.

Another problem is that of language. Advanced models of AI are usually trained using only the English language. Therefore, languages like Bengali, Swahili, Nepali are underrepresented. It leads to poor performance of AI programs in specific contexts.

However, the Global South does not lack its strengths. The region features a young population, growing digital economies, and thriving technology communities. Nations such as India, Brazil, Kenya and Indonesia have demonstrated that smart investments into education, digital infrastructure, and innovations may foster development of internationally competitive technology industries.

It is crucial to concentrate on building local AI eco-systems instead of importing all technological solutions. The states should consider broadband, cloud computing, and data centers as infrastructural elements. More efforts are required from universities to introduce AI and data science programs, and the collaboration among academia, private sector, and government will speed up the process of research and innovations.

Need to Develop Local Solutions

It is equally important to develop local solutions using AI technology. Instead of competing against Silicon Valley, developing countries may leverage AI to increase efficiency in agricultural activities, disaster management, healthcare, education, financial services, and governance.

For Bangladesh, it is a chance. The possibilities that AI could bring include better disaster prediction, agricultural modernization, health care services, and industrial productivity. But all this would be insignificant without a proper strategy for AI at the national level, which focuses on research, infrastructure, skill development, and responsible governance.

History has proven time and again that each technological revolution has its pioneers and followers. The same will be true about artificial intelligence. Being content only as a consumer of foreign AI might make sense in the short run, but it will make one dependent on technology in the long run. 

The South has the right talent, demographic and ambitions to become a producer of the AI economy. What is needed is a continued effort, proper policy and a greater role in AI governance at the global level.

(The author is an undergraduate student at the Department of International Relations, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Views expressed are personal. She can be reached at jannatorin29@gmail.com. )