SEOUL, South Korea / RankWire.AI / – On Tuesday, the World Bank Group introduced its inaugural digital strategy, focusing on expanding accessible digital infrastructure, enhancing service delivery, and generating employment opportunities across emerging markets. This comprehensive plan unites the institution’s public and private sector strengths into a single framework, unveiled during the group’s Global AI and Digital Summit held in Seoul on October 20. The event was jointly hosted by South Korea’s Ministry of Finance and Economy alongside the Ministry of Science and ICT.
The strategy delineates four key areas of focus for the upcoming years. It aims to improve reliable connectivity, covering everything from undersea international cables to local networks supporting households, schools, and clinics. The second priority seeks to lower costs for entry-level smartphones and data plans. The third emphasizes digital services and skills, including digital identification, payments, and training linked to employment. The fourth involves laying the groundwork for countries to harness artificial intelligence. Privacy, cybersecurity, and fraud prevention are integrated across all four areas.
World Bank Group President Ajay Banga highlighted digital technology’s role in fostering job creation and optimizing limited resources. He stressed that unlocking this potential necessitates a holistic approach, combining dependable connectivity, affordable devices, and accessible services. Banga described the strategy as a way to coordinate these elements for client countries. He also promoted a concept he termed small AI, which he characterized as AI for the people, relying on local data, languages, and cost-effective technology rather than large, expensive models.
Developing Countries Confront a Growing Employment Gap
The timing of this launch coincides with the challenge faced by many developing nations, where resources are limited, and employment opportunities are insufficient. Over the next 10 to 15 years, approximately 1.2 billion young people will enter the workforce in these countries, yet their economies are expected to generate only around 420 million jobs. The World Bank Group views digital solutions as a strategy to narrow this divide, with technology enabling businesses to reach more customers, increase productivity, and secure financing.
The bank anticipates digital technologies will support employment in five targeted sectors: infrastructure and energy, agribusiness, health care, tourism, and value-added manufacturing. Such digital systems can also reduce the costs of providing public services. The strategy combines financial support, policy guidance, private investment, and guarantees, providing a foundation for collaboration among governments, tech firms, development partners, and philanthropic organizations. Notably, multilateral lenders have already increased their direct financing to emerging economies in recent years.
Billions Still Unconnected as AI Strategy Debuts
Despite progress, significant barriers to digital access persist, according to the World Bank Group. In 2025, over 2 billion people worldwide remained offline. Internet usage among those in low-income countries was only 23%, compared to 94% in high-income nations. Many individuals live within network coverage areas but cannot afford smartphones or data plans, while others lack digital literacy or access to relevant services.
Alongside the digital strategy, the World Bank announced the AI Infrastructure and Readiness Initiative, designed to help governments in emerging markets access affordable computing resources via shared, pay-as-you-go GPU infrastructure. This offers an alternative to building expensive national data centers. Knowledge partners for this project include Cassava Technologies and NVIDIA. The initial focus will be on Africa and Latin America, aiming to leverage small AI technologies for practical applications in these regions.