Conceptual diagram of AI Photo: VCG

In a report released on Tuesday, the World Bank made an optimistic assessment that artificial intelligence (AI) could allow developing countries to do in a decade what might otherwise take a century. The report found that AI will throw developing economies a lifeline, and that the technology's greatest promise for developing countries lies not in replacing workers, but in amplifying what they can do.

While advanced economies are still debating whether AI will wipe out white-collar jobs, this report serves as a critical reminder that AI is not merely a force that replaces human labor. More importantly, it acts as an amplifier that unlocks growth potential.

For years, many assumed that AI penetration would primarily erode low- and mid-skilled jobs and widen development gaps among economies. Yet for most developing countries still undergoing digital transformation, AI represents far more than a choice between automation and human labor. It provides a cost-effective shortcut to remedy decades of digital infrastructure shortcomings. 

Many digital capabilities that once required massive capital investment, systematic infrastructure development and professional talent training can now be realized through open-weight AI tools. This dramatic reduction in technological barriers offers developing countries a rare chance to leapfrog stages of technological iteration and catch up with global development trends.

In China, this "amplification effect" is unfolding in various ways. Over the past few years, new professions built around human-AI collaboration have kept emerging, while the skill sets required for traditional jobs are evolving at a rapid pace. 

What matters even more is that China's unique AI development path carries special reference value for other developing countries. China has already integrated AI on a massive scale into core real-life scenarios spanning manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare and education, while continuously driving down the cost of access. 

According to CNBC, Chinese built AI models are gaining ground, and they are gaining traction as they narrow the performance gap with leading American rivals while remaining significantly cheaper to use. This model provides the most practical, accessible entry point for developing economies stepping into the AI era, rather than forcing them to chase unattainable, high-end technical standards that are out of their financial and operational reach.

With the rise of Chinese open-source and open-weight models, AI competition between China and the US has become a hot topic in the global technology landscape. Some in the West often frame this as a technological power tussle between two major countries, measured by model parameters, financing scale and semiconductor manufacturing precision. While such indicators reflect technological advancement, one shouldn't overlook the far more fundamental purpose of technology. The ultimate value of any technology lies in its ability to address shared global challenges and deliver tangible public benefits.

Many developing regions are still in the very early stages of digital transformation. Truly meaningful, impactful AI capability is never cutting-edge technology locked away in a laboratory. It is technology that can step out of the lab, root itself in local realities, and deliver inclusive, accessible solutions that help these countries cross the threshold of digital infrastructure at minimal cost. It is about bringing open-weight, user-friendly AI tools into the hands of ordinary people and companies.

When more developing economies are able to use AI as a lever to bridge their long-standing development gaps, the global digital divide will not be further widened by this new round of technological revolution. Instead, it will be gradually narrowed for the first time in decades. From this perspective, the outcome of global AI competition will not be determined by which country first reaches the ceiling of technological sophistication. The real decisive factor is which country can extend technological benefits to the broadest population groups and leverage AI to drive inclusive global growth.