VoxDev Development Economics S6 Ep21: Can economists shape the future of AI?
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May 28, 2025 David Yanagizawa-Drott, a researcher at the University of Zurich and founder of the Social Catalyst Lab, discusses the dual-edge sword of AI's potential in developing economies. He explores the widening tech gap between rich and poor nations and how AI could revolutionize healthcare and education, yet may also exacerbate existing disparities. Through a Ghanaian project, he examines AI in job recruitment, stressing the need for ethical oversight. Finally, he advocates for mission-driven efforts in AI policy, particularly to address pressing challenges like youth unemployment.
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Early AI Fascination and Discovery
- David Yanagizawa-Drott shares his early interest in AI sparked by Google's BERT model in 2019.
- He realized AI's potential beyond research toward broad societal applications after ChatGPT's release.
AI Risks Widening Global Divide
- AI currently is developed and deployed mainly in wealthy countries with rich ecosystems and infrastructure.
- This risks widening the economic gap between Global North and South as income and technology access diverge.
AI as a Knowledge Equalizer
- Large language models store vast human knowledge from many sources in a condensed neural network.
- AI could radically reduce knowledge transfer costs for healthcare, education, and other sectors in developing countries.