With the aid of artificial intelligence, international development professionals have succeeded in introducing multiple tools that offer practical solutions to challenging problems. Beyond that, the AI ecosystem itself can contribute to creating an enabling environment for sustainable development by engendering a need for a trained labor workforce.
Combining available data, local expertise, and machine learning technology has presented new opportunities to approach economic development issues and improve decision-making.
The U.S. Agency for International Development for example supports integrating AI in their funded programs. Its inventory of AI use cases lists 15 activities for 2023. In health, for example, USAID used AI to optimize COVID-19 vaccine allocation, to predict bed occupancy at hospitals, and to forecast tuberculosis drug quantities.
About the author
Haneen Al-Rashid
Haneen Al-Rashid is a Ph.D. student studying Systems Engineering and the Co-Design of Trustworthy AI Systems at George Washington University. Previously, she worked with USAID Jordan on workforce development, women's economic empowerment, and private sector engagement programs. She also worked in Jordan's Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship.
