AI's uncertain opportunity for Africa
Togo invited citizens to contribute texts, recordings and translations to help AI models understand the country's 50 local languages. The World Bank's biannual Economic Update argues that most African economies should adopt and adapt AI rather than build frontier models from scratch. Africa holds 18% of the world's population but only 0.6% of global data-center capacity, and the African Development Bank estimates inclusive AI adoption could add up to $1 trillion to Africa's GDP by 2035.
Why it matters: The item sits within the technology theme, framing Africa's AI gap as a question of infrastructure, energy and adoption rather than of building frontier models.