It must have come to your mind that Artificial intelligence is often associated with the giant companies of Silicon Valley, smart cities of Europe and automation and robotics in Japan. But in today’s new era, developing countries are rapidly adopting the growing innovation and development of AI. From education to public sector, agriculture, healthcare, Artificial intelligence is gaining its place or opening new possibilities in all those places where ambitions are high.
So friends, today in this blog we will talk about how developing countries are using AI to solve problems, overcome traditional bottlenecks, and increase economic resilience. Whether you are an AI enthusiast or not, you will have to use it when the time comes. That is why our blog on how AI development in developing countries has provided information about the most transformative movements over time.
Importance of AI for developing countries
1. Addressing infrastructure deficiencies.
Even today, many developing countries in the world have not yet moved towards comprehensive high-level infrastructure like hospitals, schools or banking institutions. That is why artificial intelligence can help by providing digital services to deprived areas through low-cost tools such as mobile, cloud computing etc.
2. Leapfrogging Traditional Development.
The pace of developed countries has slowed down. In contrast, developing countries such as many countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America can take a direct leap by starting to use AI-powered tools instead of adopting a linear path. For example, many African countries have started using mobile phones directly instead of LANs and have left the traditional system behind.
3. Local problem resolution.
Developing countries face a variety of problems, such as population, education, health, crop diseases, urban overpopulation, which require a lot of research. That’s why Artificial intelligence provides powerful tools to adapt and expand.
Real-World Applications of AI in Developing Countries
1. Use of AI in Food and Agriculture Department
AI in Precision Farming
In other countries, including Nigeria, Kenya and India, small farmers are using AI in farming like this:
- forecasting geographic conditions.
- Identifying agricultural pests and diseases through smartphone app.
- Monitoring crops using devices such as drones and satellites.
Example:
Developed in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), PlantVillage Nuru is an artificial intelligence (AI) app that helps African farmers diagnose plant diseases using smartphone cameras, even without an internet connection. This increases yields and reduces food insecurity.
Irrigation : Startups like Sanku, active in countries like Africa, use AI algorithms to optimize water use in drought-prone areas. Sensors collect real-time data, and AI helps determine when and where to irrigate and is going to be very beneficial in the future.
2. Health services and disease control
Telemedicine and Diagnosis
Often doctors are not available in time or due to lack of time in rural areas, using AI-powered apps becomes necessary.
Provide AI-based symptom checkers, such as Ada Health and Babylon Health. In countries like Rwanda, AI chatbots help patients prioritize before visiting a healthcare provider.
Medical Imaging and Diagnosis
Nowadays, you can detect many types of diseases like tuberculosis, malaria and diabetic retinopathy using a microscope or mobile X-ray from a smart phone.
Example:
In countries like India, using deep learning to analyze chest X-rays for signs of TB helps overburdened clinics make fast and accurate decisions.
3. Skill Development Learning
Personalized Learning
Edtech platforms in developing countries such as Bangladesh, Ghana, and the Philippines use AI to customize lessons according to the individual level of students.
Kenya: M-Shool is an SMS-based AI learning platform that delivers course content and uses natural language processing to help students progress.
Language Translation
In today’s era, any AI app can be easily used for language translation. In multilingual societies, AI translation tools help make education accessible. For example, Google’s AI-powered translation app is widely used in India and Africa to overcome language barriers in schools and communitie.
3. Skill Development Learning
Artificial intelligence can predict situations like floods, cyclones and droughts with more accuracy than traditional and old methods.
Example:
In countries like Bangladesh, AI is used to process satellite images and historical data to predict extreme floods and provide early warning to millions of people.
In Indonesia, AI systems are used to avoid earthquakes or volcanoes.
5. Financial Inclusion
Credit scoring and lending in the banking sector
AI helps banks and financial technology companies assess creditworthiness using alternative data such as mobile usage, social behavior or utility payments.
For example, Tala and Branch are AI-powered micro-lending platforms used in many countries such as Kenya, India and Mexico, among others.
Fraud Detection
AI systems help prevent fraud in many such mobile money services, and ensure that users in rural or informal economies can transact digitally safely.
6. Public Services and Governance
Contribution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Traffic and Urban Planning
Cities like Lagos, Jakarta, and Delhi are currently using AI to optimize mobility, reduce congestion, and monitor pollution.
Use of Chatbots in Government Services
In every government sector today, Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots help citizens access government services like ID card application, health insurance registration, etc.—thereby reducing bureaucracy and improving efficiency.
Some challenges with AI in developing countries
The potential for change is enormous, yet many barriers still remain
1. Lack of Skilled Workforce
There are still many developing countries where skilled work is not possible due to the lack of AI experts, data scientists and engineers. Although online education helps to bridge this gap, more investment in local capacity building is necessary.
2. Cyber security, ethical and privacy concerns
Weak data privacy laws can make AI implementation risky. Governments must build in strong security, and developers must ensure transparent, fair and accountable AI systems.
3. Connectivity issues
Many remote areas still lack reliable electricity and internet, limiting the use of Artificial intelligence. Investment and education are needed there.
4. Bias in AI Algorithms
AI models may not perform well in local contexts because the AI algorithm will be biased. For example, a healthcare AI trained on data from European patients may misdiagnose African or Asian patients.
Global Partnerships
International organizations and technical departments are playing an important role in the adoption of AI globally:
- Facebook and Microsoft: Support local AI research labs in Nigeria and Ghana.
- Supporting Artificial intelligence for Social Good: UNICEF’s Innovation Fund
- Google AI for Social Good: Funded several projects related to agriculture and public health in Africa.
Artificial intelligence for knowledge and cultural preservation
AI is also being used to digitise and preserve indigenous languages, traditional farming techniques and local art, such as Maori language chatbots and the use of AI tools to analyse ancient languages.
This protects cultural heritage, allowing communities to benefit from the AI revolution.
Future Prospects
With future AI strategic planning, ethical use, and social development, AI can become an enabling tool to reduce inequality in developing countries:
Future AI can be:
- Building AI-enabled low-cost healthcare tools in rural clinics.
- Creating AI-powered education platform models in local languages.
- Generating local data databases for training culturally relevant AI models.
- Blockchain + AI for transparent governance in aid and development projects.
Conclusion
Artificial intelligence use is growing day by day. It is not just an exclusive to developed countries. In fact, it may be even more important in places where human and material resources are limited. Developing countries are proving that with creativity, determination and the right support, AI can solve real-world problems and drive development in the times to come.
Truly harnessing the power of Artificial intelligence in the right way can help drive greater global collaboration, ethical innovation, and localized solutions for the communities we serve.
