Investments Should Go Beyond Data Centres To Make AI Inclusive: UNCTAD

As investment in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure surges, countries need to look beyond data centres and invest in research and skills, systems and wider infrastructure, will be crucial to making the benefits of AI more inclusive, finds the UN’s trade and development body.

Announced greenfield investment in AI infrastructure grew by an average of 47% a year between 2020 and 2025. AI infrastructure now accounts for three fifths of all greenfield investment in strategic sectors worldwide.

Yet the benefits of this boom remain unevenly distributed. A handful of economies host the vast majority of AI infrastructure investment, while 100 companies account for 40% of global research and development.

The investment boom should also build local capabilities across more economies to support inclusive development. Building computing infrastructure alone does not guarantee that developing economies will capture the benefits of AI.

Equally important is enabling local businesses and public services to use the technology effectively. This requires investment in reliable electricity, affordable connectivity, research and skills, as well as access to finance and data.

“Most economic value will come from use in agriculture, health systems, logistics, and public services,” Acting Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said at the World Investment Forum.

For this, investments in computing infrastructure have to be linked with reliable electricity, connectivity, education, research, local-language applications and enterprise development.

Smaller firms and innovators in developing economies should have access to finance, tools and markets so that they can adapt AI to local needs and grow their businesses.

Transparent governance, data protection, cybersecurity, interoperable standards and resource-efficient infrastructure can help sustain investment and support wider AI adoption.