According to the World Bank, the real AI revolution in developing countries isn’t coming from flashy mega‑models, but from small, low‑cost tools that solve local problems.

Mahesh Uttamchandani, the organisation’s Regional Practice Director for Digital and AI inEast Asia and Pacific and South Asia, sat down with Anshu Sharma from UN News during the India AI Impact Summit, and explained that these systems are cheaper to run, easier to adapt, and already delivering outsized impact.