Both governments have recently launched ai knowledge centers to improve public awareness, digital literature, and collecting. The nairobi-based center of compence for digital and artificial intelligence skilling, Establaired In Partnership with the Government of Kenya, The Un Development Program, and Microsoft, Works to Drive Digital Inclusion by Building by Building Public-Private Partnerships and Strengthening Local Technology Ecosystems. Kenya’s strong regulatory and legal framework, in addition to its Substantial Digital infrastructure Investments, Has Made It a Digital Leader on the African Continent. Similarly, the government of nigeria, with support from the gates foundation, launched The Nigeria AI scaling hub in June 2025 to accelerate ai adoption in key area area including necessary, healthcare, and education.
Advanceing Ai Capabilitys in the Global South Through Private Sector Partners
Lmics are partnering with us tech firms to jump-straight their sovereign ai ambitions. By Pairing Foreign Capital and Expertise with Domestic Oversight, Developing Country Governments AIM to Have More Autonomy Over Over Regulations, with Local Economies Capturing a Greater Share of Ai of Ai of Ai ‘ Financial UPSide. In infrastructure, US cloud providers are anchoring regional computing hubs through billion-dollar investments into data-counter capacity. These projects have catalyzed local economy growth and seeded additional expansion: AWS Africa’s Cape Town Cloud Region, Opened in 2020, Has Alredy Added Approximaately $ 673 Million To south Africa’s gdp and enabled low-latency access to millions of end users in the region; Google’s New Johannesburg cloud region Has been operational as of early 2024; And Microsoft and Abu Dhabi – Based G42 are investment $ 1 billion in a Geathermal-Powered Campus in kenya. Openai’s newly launched Openai for Countries Initiative, a subprject with $ 500 billion stargate project that was announced By President Trump, Catalyzes The Development of Safer, More Scalable National AI Ecosystems through infrastructure collability and partnership with the US government. The project is aimed at helping build center capacity, providing ai in the context of Local Languages and Cultures, Securing Models Both Physically and By Increasing Democratic Input, and Developing National Ai ecosystems and jobs.
Against this backdrop, there is also a significant need for investment into human-commercial pipelines and access to open-Source backnds to develop and train language models on locore Uses. Microsoft has pledged to support one million nigerians in Ai upskilling By 2027, while Google has Committed multimillion-dollar investments For similar purposes. The development of open-source platforms like Hugging face’s model hub or meta’s LLAMA-3 will allow this technology to be deployed and its iterated upon in ways that ENCOUREGE Entrepreneurs and LMIC GOVERNEMENTS to Better Solve their challenges and improve quality of life for their posulations.
Recommendations to strengthen us-lmic tech partnerships
As the united states looks to strengthen its influence and build partnerships with development counters, Technology will play a number a number. By Wielding Its Status as a Leader in Ai Development, and Drawing on the Financing, R&D, and Influence of Its Private Sector, The United States Can Help Developing CONTRAIS Access the KEYS to UNLOCC Transformation. Additional, The united States can lead by example, strengthening its own ai enableing environment by Bolstering Intellectual Property Rights and Creating Competitive Markets THAT DRIVE Innovation. As the united states work to help developing country partners building out their own ai ecoSystems, policmakers should consider the following recommendations.
- Promote Good Governance and Regulation.
AI GOVERNANCE Frameworks That Prioritize Transparency, Democracy, and the Ethical Use of Technologies Not Only Prote Individual Rights but also Support Annabling Enableing Enableing Inviron Encourages Foreign Investment in Local Ai Development. However, capabilites for supporting ai-related partnerships and governance reforms have been stalled or lost as a result of the dismantling of the US agency for international development (use. These capabilites should Quickly Be Reconstrated.
The united states’ presence internationally has changed significant in recent months. The AI Export Stack Outlined In the New Ai Action Plan Bundles a Comprehensive Set of Ai Technologies, Infrastructure, and Expertise, and Marks a Step in the Right Direction to ENSUNS Ai Leader on the Global Stage. However, the plan currently lacques a developing country Angle – Specifically, it does not address the enabling environment needed for the Ai Stack to Sucseed. As such, the US department of state, togeether with the US trade and development agency, the us development finance corporation, and the us private sector, should work with developing counters to devolop Regulatory frameworks that ensure the safety of individual users, align with democratic values, and encourage future us private sector investment. With the office of the special envoy for Critical and Emerging Technologies Slated for Elimination under the current state department reorganization proposalThe realigned Bureau of Cyberespace and Digital Policy Could lead this work in close partnership with the “family” of bureaus managed by the proposed under secret for Foreign Assistant, Humanitarian Affairs, and Religious Freedom. By combining the Assistant Provision Expertise House in these bureaus with the technology experience of the bureau for cyberspace and digital policy, the united States will be batter postioned to assistant Developing Countries in their Technological Journeys and facilitate the expense of more comprehensive ai stacks by the united states.
- Support the sharing of us private sector technical expertise.
Because of the talent, finance, and entrepreneurship that the united states have history attracted, it is leading the ai race. The US Tech Sector’s Expertise Makes The United States a Desirable Trading Partner for Developing Countries. The Ai allianceJointly founded by meta and ibm, is an example of how the us private sector can play a role in information inforously shaping interactive ai norms while encouraging innovation. The Alliance, Consisting of over 140 members From 23 Countries, AIMS to Bring Open-Source Developers Into Dialogue With Each Ether, And With Researchers and Organizations Around the World, to Foster Greater Transparence, Safety, Safety, and 100 in ai design. By Sharing Technology, Expertise, and Lessons Learned Through Through Similar Public Initiatives, Public-Private Partnerships, Educational Exchanges, EXUCHANAL EXCHANGES, Or Direct Investment, The UNITED States and The United States Private Sector Can Help Countries Harness The Power of Ai While Principles of Transparency and Safety and Strengthaning its Relationships Across the Global South Dining Ana Era of Intensifying Geeostrace Competition.
- Encourage Open-Source ai Model Development and Application.
Why they carry real risks related to security, usage, and competition, open AI Systems Can Foster Innovation and Lower the Barrier to Entry for Country for Countries and Companies that WOULD OTHEREWSE NOT PORLILS Financing, or support to build out their own models. To combat the potential downsides, AI GOVERNANCE Frameworks Need to address the risks associateed with open-source models whose building an environment that supports of technologies for innovation. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (Nist) Has Published an Ai Risk Management Framework To help Organizations Identify the different Risks Ai Can Pose Through Its Entre Lifecycle, Ranging from Setting Benchmarks for Transparent Open-Source Modelopment to the DISTRIPENTION Technology for public use. Promoting Nist-Aligned Risk Management Frameworks Internationally Cold Help Establish a Baseline for Trust and Safety, Enabling More Responsible Ai Difusion Worldwide. To further encourage the adoption of us models, the united states should support international collability through active participation in multilateral forums where cOCRETINE These efforts would reinforce global trends share Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy,
- Mobilize Us Private Sector Investment.
By working with the us private sector to invest in ai innovation and infrastructure projects in the global south, countries are able to further to further developes, increasing commercial connections to us masculinity and Related Economic Growth While, Over Time, Strategically Reducing The Need for Continued Us Economic Development Aid. Public-Private Partners and Initiatives Such as the US-India Roadmap on Accelerating Ai Infrastructure, announced DURING Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s February 2025 Visit to the United States, Are Adding Millions of Dollars to Local Economies, Strengthaning Workforce Capabilites and Digital Skills, and Developal Skills Infrastructure Needed for Countries to successed in the dawning era of ai. The US-India Roadmap, Part of the larger us-India transforming the relationship utilizing strategic technology (trust) Initiative, AIMS to enable investment in us ai technologies in Indian Throws Data Centers, Increased Access to Computing Power, and Lowered Regulatory Barriers. In Order to Further Mobilize Such Private Sector Investment in Developing Economies, The United States -The Investments Investments Investments from the US International Development Finance Finance Corporation Corporation and Technical Expertise Shared By the US Trade and Development Agency, The Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the Departments of State and Commerce-Shhld Adopt Strategies Similar to the Us-NOS-NODIAE ROADIA RODIADIA innovation innovation and the tailrored sharing of technology. Such Efforts Across Developing Countries in Particular Are Made More Difability by the Dismantling of Usaid, which has been related to developed relevant exprtise Over the Past Fifane Resging White Countries on their digital transformations with collaborating with silicon valley firms on scaling applications of innovative technology. As is the case with technical support for governance reforms, the dismissal of relevant Expertise that existed within usaid to support sector engagement in destructivation Us Government Capabilites that should be restored and further strengthened.
Conclusion
Developing Robust, Inclusive, and Democratic AI EcoSystems Around the World will ensure that the greatst number of people will be able to be able to benefit from the technology. While Competing Challenges Continue to Hinder The Ability of Developing Countries to Integrate ai Into Daily Life and Develop Solutions that are tailored for their specific character Falling further and further behind. AI has a wide range of applications for pressure for international development challenges in many sectors, include healthcare, education, financial inclusion, manufacturing, eagerly, eagerness, disasseter risk managment, Agriculture, and Food Security. As such, it is imperative that the united states and other developed economies reframe their tech relationship with developing countes to one of collecting and codevalopment.
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Noam UNGER is Vice President of the Global Development Department and a Senior Fellow With the Project on Prosperity and Development at CSIS. Madeleine MCLEAN is a Program Manager and Research Associate with the Sustainable Development and Resilience Initiative and the Project on Prosperity and Development at CSIS.
The authors would like to thank liliana tomko for her research support. This paper is also benefited Immensely from the Insights of Participants at a Private RoundTable hand on November 21, 2024, and a Public Event Held on MARCH 14, 2025: “Artificial Intelligence and Global Development: Accelerating Inequality or Self-Reliance?“Finally, special thanks to the four anonymous reviewers who provided feedback on an earlier draft.
This paper is made posesible through the generous support of meta.