The danger in the Global South’s pursuit of AI as a magical cure

Much Western discourse on artificial intelligence has lately focused on establishing safeguards and installing guardrails against powerful new AI systems, algorithmic bias, the collusion of governments and tech oligarchs, and rising related environmental costs.The growing AI backlash in the West has been labelled a “botlash” in a recent commentary by Stanford University’s Marietje Schaake, who includes anti-AI movements such as “QuitGPT”, “Resist and Unsubscribe” and “Stealing Isn’t Innovation”.While developed countries begin to see the downsides of AI, the story for the Global South is the complete opposite: AI is being viewed as some magical cure for poor governance, corruption and weak economic development.Unlike developed countries, the Global South has yet to experience a localised and large-scale adoption of AI or a “bot boom”. But the bid to adopt AI without first developing localised governance, digital literacy and a research ecosystem brings risks of Global South populations becoming passive consumers of foreign technologies.AI is being pushed by political leaders and development agencies as the ultimate means of reigniting stagnant economic and development growth across the Global South, including Africa, South Asia and Latin America. Governments in these regions are presenting AI as a tool to fix bad governance, make healthcare and education more accessible, reduce corruption and manage climate-related disasters.Last year, for instance, Ethiopia launched its Digital Ethiopia 2030 strategy, which calls for the integration of AI in education, healthcare, tax services and justice. Similarly, Pakistan’s National AI Policy 2025 frames the technology as a transformative tool to be employed across the sectors of healthcare, education, governance, agriculture and industry. Many countries in Latin America, such as Chile, Argentina and Colombia, have also adopted national strategies that promote AI’s role in modernising public administration and fostering economic growth.