Reports and Indices

World Development Report 2026

October 23 , 2026 16 hrs 0 min 17 0

The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) launched the World Bank Group’s World Development Report (WDR) 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence under the IndiaAI Mission.
ChatGPT reached 50% of its traffic from middle-income countries within six months, showing that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is spreading faster than earlier technologies such as electricity and the internet.
The report highlights the Three Cs of AI development: Capabilities, Concentration and Complements, covering AI’s uses, concentration of advanced AI resources, and the need for infrastructure and institutions.
Small AI uses compact, low-compute models for specific needs; examples include Wadhwani AI’s Cough Against TB in India and the Rori learning platform in Ghana.
In India, AI-based weather forecasts produced savings of up to USD 560 per small farmer in Telangana.
The report recommends the “Adopt, Adapt and Advance” approach: first use existing AI tools, then adapt them to local needs, and selectively develop advanced AI capabilities.