Fourth Industrial Revolution

How the 'Blueprint for Intelligent Economies' can help drive growth through inclusive AI

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Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Regina Mayor
Global Head of Clients and Markets, KPMG LLP
This article is part of: World Economic Forum Annual Meeting
  • Artificial intelligence may be driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution but it needs to be democratized to enable everyone to access and use it.
  • The promise of AI is becoming a reality in some parts of the world, but many worldwide still lack the infrastructure or skills to leverage its benefits.
  • The newly-launched Blueprint for Intelligent Economies: AI Competitiveness through Regional Collaboration serves as a high-level framework for international strategic decision-making.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is fuelling the rapidly evolving Fourth Industrial Revolution. But to be a true game changer, AI must be democratized, enabling everyone to easily access, understand and use it daily.

We’re at a pivotal moment with AI creating new intelligent enterprises and intelligent economies. The question facing developers, business leaders and politicians is: How do we ensure that the growth of AI doesn’t leave people behind and is truly inclusive? Before we can even talk about a truly universal, equitable rollout of AI, we need to look at where we are on wider technology.

There are still more than 2.6 billion people around the world with no access to the internet. That’s 33% of global population who are classed as ‘fully offline’, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The promise of artificial intelligence is becoming a reality in some parts of the world. Yet, the reality of energy-intensive AI infrastructure, advanced computing capability, high-quality data and a lack of on-the-ground AI upskilling, means billions of people risk missing out on the economic and societal benefits promised by the ‘Age of Intelligence’.

The foundations need to be in place to enable a truly equitable, global transition to a new artificial intelligence-based economy, including infrastructure, a new tech stack and a new way of doing tech in the AI era.

Have you read?

In collaboration with KPMG International, the World Economic Forum's AI Governance Alliance has launched the Blueprint for Intelligent Economies: AI Competitiveness through Regional Collaboration, which serves as a high-level framework for international strategic decision-making.

It aims to promote a common understanding of AI and it provides a planning tool to aid governments, global AI leaders, enterprises, academia and civil society to collaborate on shared goals.

How the blueprint can support developing a national AI ecosystem

At the core of the Blueprint for Intelligent Economies are nine strategic objectives for developing a national AI ecosystem and some of the essential capabilities and building blocks that are required for all of us to get there.

The strategic objectives on how we navigate our way to a successful AI future are organized across three layers:

  • Building the foundations for intelligent economies
  • Growing new intelligent economies
  • Putting people at the heart of intelligent economies

Collaboration can be the key to unlocking the success of AI, but we also must recognize that each country and region will follow their own journey. The speed of the development of an intelligent economy will depend on many factors.

The blueprint provides a common language and a set of practical resources to support the planning and implementation of robust AI ecosystems across the three layers. Governments and industry are encouraged to use it as a foundation for conducting a holistic maturity assessment of key capabilities critical to driving the AI ecosystem.

Additionally, it draws on insights from successful initiatives implemented in other countries, offering tried-and-tested examples that can be adapted to local contexts.

For example, some nations and regions facing sustainability challenges such as low levels of available energy have developed collaborative agreements between data centre firms and energy providers to support the deployment of sustainable energy such as wind, solar or nuclear to power the massive demands for computing.

It also highlights opportunities for regional collaboration, enabling countries to share resources – such as data centre infrastructure – and leapfrog the development of specific AI capabilities.

Collaboration key to creating national AI pathways

Lastly, the blueprint serves as a catalyst for fostering close collaboration between governments, the private sector and academia, providing a strategic vision for national AI pathways and inviting diverse stakeholders to contribute to this shared journey. This approach is already working across multiple regions and nations right now.

The next step for decision makers is to evaluate national AI capacities and prioritize investments across various timeframes. This could not come at a more crucial time and requires embracing AI with a strategic mindset and fostering a culture of innovation, driven by multi-stakeholder engagement.

Building capabilities at foundational, functional and strategic levels is essential. Those who successfully navigate this transition will emerge as artificial intelligence-powered industry leaders. Conversely, those who hesitate risk becoming obsolete in an AI-driven future.

Now is the time for action. The challenge of making AI truly equitable, sustainable and successful requires collaboration and cross-stakeholder commitment. With the right foundations in place, we can harness the power of AI to shape a positive future and unlock AI's potential to revolutionize industries and benefit the whole of society.

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The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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