World Bank Chief Ajay Banga Says ‘Small AI’ Can Empower India’s Farmers

Artificial intelligence could significantly improve the lives and productivity of farmers in India and other developing economies, World Bank President Ajay Banga has said, highlighting an initiative in Uttar Pradesh that helps women farmers identify crop diseases using basic mobile phones.

Speaking at a discussion moderated by CNN’s Fareed Zakaria at Columbia University, Banga said the global conversation around AI is largely focused on large language models (LLMs) and generative AI, which require substantial computing power, energy, data, skilled professionals and capital.

He argued that many emerging economies do not yet have access to that combination but could benefit from simpler applications of what he described as “small AI” — predictive tools designed to improve productivity in areas such as agriculture, education, skills and healthcare.

Using Uttar Pradesh as an example, Banga said applications developed with Google were allowing women farmers associated with cooperatives to access agricultural information through basic mobile phones.

A farmer can speak into a 3G phone and point its camera at a diseased plant leaf, after which the application identifies the disease and recommends an insecticide available through the local cooperative, he explained.

Banga said such applications could effectively democratise access to specialised knowledge, including for farmers who may not be literate or have technical expertise.

He also drew a distinction between the potential impact of AI in advanced and developing economies. According to Banga, LLMs could potentially affect around one-third of jobs in developed countries, while the proportion could fall to single digits in middle-income countries and be negligible in low-income economies.

He said this difference creates an opportunity for developing nations to use AI to raise productivity and expand capabilities before facing the level of job displacement being debated in wealthier economies.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who appeared alongside Banga, offered a contrasting perspective, warning that AI and robotics could put additional pressure on middle-class workers and established white-collar and manufacturing jobs in developed countries.