Summary
Artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and deployment are advancing rapidly, and offer emerging markets a potential pathway to boost productivity, improve service delivery, and foster long term economic transformation. At the same time, AI diffusion remains uneven across countries, constrained by gaps in infrastructure, data availability, skills, and institutional readiness. This handbook responds to a growing need among investors, policymakers, and ecosystem builders for a framework to assess where to invest and how to scale AI sustainably in emerging markets.
The framework centers on two complementary analytical lenses. The Ecosystem Lens maps the actors and innovations driving AI development, from hard and soft infrastructure to foundational models and sector-specific vertical AI applications. The Structural Elements Lens examines broader preconditions for sustainable AI growth, including data availability and energy infrastructure. The report draws on IFC investment experience and World Bank operational expertise, staying focused on practical decision making and highlighting areas where emerging markets can leapfrog constraints.
