In an interview with Devex at the AI for Development, or AI4D, conference in Barcelona, entrepreneur and creative technologist Javier Ideami discussed the critical intersections of artificial intelligence and global development, cautioning that the sector’s biggest needs are precisely where current AI models fall short.
Ideami, whose work spans film directing and founding a generative AI platform, highlighted that while current AI systems can effectively use existing data sets, they struggle with the reasoning needed for complex, real-world development decision-making.
It is a common concern beyond global development that AI will replace the human workforce; however, Ideami believes that this is a major misconception. According to the self-described “multidisciplinary explorer,” the sector is still far from this reality, citing the recent uptick in companies having to bring humans back after prematurely replacing them with AI.
About the authors
Thomas Cserep
Thomas Cserép is an Associate Editor who manages and oversees Devex's social media presence, coordinates Devex’s audience outreach, and produces the This Week in Global Development podcast. Prior to Devex, he worked as a freelance journalist, with his writings appearing in a variety of publications, including Get Spanish Football News and the magazine of the Hungarian Geographic Society.
Honesty Pern@honypern
Honesty Pern is the Opinions Editor at Devex. Before this, she managed the News Production team, overseeing newsletter, website, and editorial production. Prior to joining Devex in 2017, she worked at an urban rights NGO in Phnom Penh, and she has previously held positions at community-based NGOs in Australia and Russia. She is originally from France.
