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The World Economic Forum released today a new report outlining how AI can drive inclusive economic growth and societal progress. While AI has the power to reshape economies and societies, ensuring that its benefits are shared equitably remains a major challenge globally. The report offers strategies for leaders to address equity concerns, tailor artificial intelligence to local needs and drive sustainable, long-term economic growth for all.
The report, Blueprint for Intelligent Economies, developed in collaboration with KPMG, outlines nine strategic objectives designed to support every stage of the AI journey – innovation, development, deployment and adoption at the national, regional and global levels. Part of the Forum’s AI Competitiveness through Regional Collaboration Initiative, the report addresses disparities in AI access, infrastructure, advanced computing and skills. It provides actionable insights and showcases successful case studies to inform efforts by governments, at all AI maturity levels, and other key stakeholders to promote more inclusive and resilient AI ecosystems worldwide.
“Leveraging AI for economic growth and societal progress is a shared goal, yet countries and regions have very different starting points,” said Cathy Li, Head of AI, Data and the Metaverse at the World Economic Forum. “This blueprint serves as a compass, guiding decision-makers toward impact-oriented collaboration and practical solutions that can unlock AI’s full potential.”
Designing national and regional AI strategies that actively involve all stakeholders—governments, businesses, entrepreneurs, civil society, and users—is critical for addressing local needs. The report advocates for AI strategies that are supported by high-level leadership and developed in close collaboration with local communities. This approach can help address key issues like responsible governance, data privacy, and the local impact of AI policies on innovation and investment.
"The significant potential of AI remains largely untapped in many regions worldwide. Establishing an inclusive and competitive AI ecosystem will become a crucial priority for all nations," said Solly Malatsi, Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies of South Africa. "Collaboration among multiple stakeholders at the national, regional and global levels will be essential in fostering growth and prosperity through AI for everyone."
The Blueprint for Intelligent Economies draws from global expertise and provides tailored frameworks for nations at varying stages of AI development. While every region faces unique challenges, the Blueprint emphasizes the importance of adapting successful solutions from elsewhere. For example, regional frameworks for sharing AI infrastructure and energy resources can help overcome national resource limitations, while centralized databanks can create inclusive local datasets that reflect the needs of diverse communities. Public-private subsidies can also widen access to affordable AI-ready devices, helping local innovators adopt AI technologies and scale their operations.
“All nations have a unique opportunity to advance their economic and societal progress through AI,” said Hatem Dowidar, Chief Executive Office of E&. “This requires a collaborative approach of intentional leadership from governments supported by active engagement with all stakeholders at all stages of the AI journey. Regional and global collaborations remain fundamental pathways to address shared challenges and opportunities, ensure equitable access to key AI capabilities, and responsibly maximize its transformative potential for a lasting value for all.”
Top 3 strategic objectives
The report outlines nine strategic objectives to drive an effective AI strategy, but identifies and breaks down the following three as the most important for national AI programmes globally:
Building sustainable AI infrastructure – Developing and delivering sustainable and resilient AI infrastructure is essential to unlocking the growth potential of intelligent economies. However, creating scalable, secure and environmentally responsible systems will require significant investment and energy use, and intensified cross-sector collaboration.
Curating diverse and high-quality datasets – Data is crucial for developing equitable, accurate and fair AI models, but various data-related challenges exist, including data accessibility, imbalance and ownership. To counter this, data must be available, diverse, inclusive and of high quality to reflect the needs, characteristics, and cultures of a population and their languages
Establishing robust ethical and safety guardrails – Robust frameworks for AI are essential for ensuring that technology benefits society while reducing risks. Establishing standards preventing misuse, bias and ethical breaches will be critical, and help foster trust in AI and promote its responsible development and use.
The report presents a multi-layered blueprint to advance the strategic objectives through collaborative initiatives at the national, regional, and global levels. The foundational layer focuses on sustainable energy, responsible AI infrastructure, diverse data curation and efficient investment channels. The second layer drives growth across sectors by embedding AI in workflows and devices, fostering innovation and accelerating sectoral adoption. The third layer prioritizes people, emphasizing skill development, workforce empowerment and ethical frameworks to guide AI's societal impact.
The report also highlights the crucial role of collaboration between the public and private sectors in accelerating AI adoption worldwide. By implementing supportive policies and incentivizing innovation and continuous learning programmes, governments can unlock AI’s potential as a powerful engine for growth and enable workers across the world to thrive in AI-powered Intelligent Age.
Building on the vision of greater AI access, the AI Governance Alliance is launching Regional AI Activation Networks to deliver tailored, on-the-ground programmes designed to enhance AI capabilities. These initiatives will address local challenges, foster resilient AI value chains, enhance local AI ecosystem participation and promote regional efforts on data governance in the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Programmes will be developed through a regional multistakeholder platform throughout 2025.
About the World Economic Forum's AI Competitiveness through Regional Collaboration Initiative
The World Economic Forum's AI Competitiveness through Regional Collaboration Initiative aims to address the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence, particularly by supporting policy-makers and business leaders in creating a more equitable and responsible regional AI ecosystem that fosters inclusive growth and shared prosperity. Click here to learn more.
About the Annual Meeting 2025
The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025, taking place in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, from 20 to 24 January, convenes global leaders under the theme Collaboration for the Intelligent Age. The meeting will foster new partnerships and insights to shape a more sustainable, inclusive future in an era of rapidly advancing technology, focusing on five key areas: Reimagining Growth, Industries in the Intelligent Age, Investing in People, Safeguarding the Planet, and Rebuilding Trust. Click here to learn more.
