Central Asia risks becoming a consumer, not creator, of AI – World Bank
Central Asia faces a new technology dilemma: use artificial intelligence to accelerate development or risk becoming dependent on systems built elsewhere, the World Bank warned. AI could deliver meaningful economic gains for the region, but only if countries invest in local capabilities, infrastructure and cooperation.
The application of AI has the potential to increase the economic output of Central Asia and the Caucasus by 0.8% to 2.2% in the coming decade, according to the 2026 World Development Report. The precise magnitude of this increase depends on the rate of technology adoption within individual economies.
AI may have potential applications in non-technological sectors, including agriculture, water management, healthcare access, and public service enhancement across Central Asia. AI-driven solutions have significant potential to alleviate the need for decades of costly, time-consuming infrastructure development by bringing specialised knowledge to underserved areas.
Reliance on AI and associated risks
Researchers believe the most critical risk is Central Asian nations becoming passive users of AI systems created in more developed economies, such as the US and China. Foreign AI solutions may not effectively integrate local languages, data, and cultural contexts unless Central Asian nations develop their own strategies, the World Bank stressed.
Many of the most prominent AI models centre on widely used languages and datasets. The efficacy of foreign-sourced AI in healthcare, education, government, and business could be improved by enhancing language models’ ability to understand regional languages such as Uzbek, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and others.
Another opportunity for Global South nations is to participate in the broader AI supply chain. This includes the provision of artificial intelligence (AI) startups, data services, and the minerals required by advanced technology, World Bank researchers noted.
