Global Progress in the AI Era: Can a new effort scale AI for good to reach hundreds of millions?

This week, we are reporting from the Commission on the Status of Women — the world’s largest gathering on gender equality, which is taking place at the United Nations headquarters in New York. We discuss the key talking points at the conference, including what’s at stake amid a global regression in women’s rights, as well as the conversations taking place on the sidelines of the main summit.  Staying on the topic of gender equality and the U.N., we also explore the potential merger of two agencies — UN Women and UNFPA — and explore the latest updates on the race for the next U.N. Secretary-General. To dig into these stories, and others, Adva Saldinger sits down with Colum Lynch and Elissa Miolene for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series.Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

Too many “AI for good” pilots fail before reaching the people who need them most.To solve this scaling crisis, Kanika Bahl, the CEO of Evidence Action, is stepping down from the helm of the organization to lead a new effort called the AI Access Initiative. Operating as an “AI-native NGO,” the initiative will bridge the gap between frontier tech labs and global development actors. Rather than funding endless pilots, it is focusing on scaling proven “big bets,” including clinical decision support for overstretched health systems and AI weather forecasting for smallholder farmers.Bahl warns that the development sector must abandon “business as usual” and aim for audacious goals — including reaching half of the world’s 3.5 billion people living in poverty — to prevent a rapidly widening digital divide.

This week, we are reporting from the European Investment Bank’s annual meetings in Luxembourg to better understand the direction in which the institution is heading. We dig into the agenda as Europe continues to balance defense and development spending.EIB President Nadia Calviño says the bank is “carrying the flag of development.” This comes as the bank pledged $1 billion for electrification in Africa, strengthened its commitment to health and gender, and launched its third Gender Action Plan.During the conversation, we also discuss the messy USAID closeout process. Despite hundreds of millions of dollars owed to former partners and a growing threat of litigation, sources say the Trump administration is stalling settlement payments and imposing unrealistic deadlines as it starves the agency’s legacy operations.To explore these stories and others, Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with reporters Michael Igoe and Jesse Chase-Lubitz for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

This week on Devex’s Global Progress in the AI Era podcast, we are breaking down the critical shift from simply accessing artificial intelligence to owning the infrastructure it runs on, with a specific focus on how the global south can finance AI infrastructure on its own terms. From the push for "minimum viable compute" to the deployment of micro data centers, we explore how nations are moving away from being mere sites of data extraction toward becoming sovereign architects of their own technological destinies. To dig into these stories, Devex’s Catherine Cheney is joined by Jonathan Reid, Barbados minister of innovation; Kate Kallot, founder and CEO of Amini; and Alaa Murabit, managing partner at 500 Global.As the conversation around AI often centers on the massive "gigawatt factories" of the global north, our guests argue that the real bottleneck isn’t computing capability, but institutional capacity and the underlying financing architecture. We discuss the transition from short-term pilots to durable public infrastructure, examining how strategic investment in regulators and civil servants is just as vital as the tech itself. By focusing on a three-part financing model that secures data rights and long-term maintenance, this episode explores how countries can build systems they can actually govern — ensuring that AI moves humanity forward rather than just serving as a new frontier for extraction.

Last week, we were at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 to find out how this revolutionary technology can transform global development. From AI regulation to the push for democratized access, we’re breaking down our key takeaways from the summit and exploring how artificial intelligence can maximize impact in the sector.On the topic of the AI Impact Summit, Bill Gates pulled out hours before delivering a keynote speech. As the ties between the billionaire philanthropist and Jeffrey Epstein continue to generate headlines, we discuss whether the scrutiny of their relationship will broaden into a larger conversation about the power structures underlying elite philanthropy.To dig into these stories, and others, Business Editor David Ainsworth sits down with Managing Editor Anna Gawel and Senior Editor for Special Coverage Catherine Cheney to discuss the top global development stories of the week. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

Artificial intelligence is moving at breakneck speed, but can global governance keep up?In this episode of our new podcast series, Global progress in the AI era, Devex’s Catherine Cheney sits down with Amandeep Singh Gill, the U.N. secretary-general’s envoy on technology.Together, they unpack the fast-evolving — and often fragmented — architecture of AI regulation.The core question: Can today’s patchwork of initiatives be connected quickly enough to ensure low- and middle-income countries help shape how AI is built and used — rather than being shut out of the benefits and left as testing grounds for systems making high-stakes decisions about their future?

We examine the latest developments surrounding the African Continental Free Trade Area, or AfCFTA, which served as a focal point of the recent African Union Summit. The initiative continues its phased reduction of continental tariffs to bolster intra-African trade and industrialization.The development of strategic resource corridors to anchor critical mineral supply chains was also a cornerstone of the discussions. The U.S. officials sought to reassure participants that corridor investments would not be exploitative and would deliver tangible benefits to local communities.We also reflect on the Munich Security Conference, where we found that the global south was underrepresented. While traditional foreign aid was largely sidelined in favor of immediate security priorities, development finance emerged as a prominent topic of conversation. Throughout the summit, participants frequently championed the argument that strategic investment in development is a prerequisite for global security, rather than a byproduct of it.To discuss these stories, and others, Senior Reporter Adva Saldinger sits down with reporters Ayenat Mersie and Jesse Chase-Lubitz for the latest episode of our weekly podcast series. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters.

This week we take a look at a new report from the Center for Global Development, which found that aid cuts have largely failed to spark reform in sub-Saharan Africa. The caveat, though, is that the authors analyzed national budget data from June 2025 — shortly after the U.S. announced its drastic cuts, meaning the analysis doesn’t reflect efforts that have been taken since then. But still, it challenges the viability of current financing models and highlights growing risks to essential social spending in recipient countries.On the topic of sub-Saharan Africa, we examine the situation in Malawi, which is struggling to sustain critical health, education, and development programs after abrupt cuts to U.S. foreign aid exposed the country’s heavy reliance on donor funding.Foreign aid cuts by the United States and the United Kingdom have also impacted the fight against female genital mutilation, hindering progress toward its elimination.To dig into these stories, and others, Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with reporters Sara Jerving and Ayenat Mersie to discuss the top global development stories of the week. Sign up to the Devex Newswire and our other newsletters. 

In this episode of the This Week in Global Development podcast, Business Editor David Ainsworth is joined by Managing Editor Anna Gowel and Deputy Managing Editor Fiona Zublin to discuss the launch of Devex’s Power 50 list. The conversation highlights how the development landscape is shifting away from traditional power structures toward influential "movers and shakers" behind the scenes, including tech entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and leaders from the global south. Key figures mentioned include Anna Makanju of OpenAI, representing the impact of artificial intelligence on development, and Benjamin Black of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, illustrating the growing importance of private sector investment in global aid. Our discussion then moves to resource sovereignty, particularly concerning critical minerals on the African continent. The editors explore how countries such as Botswana, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are implementing export bans and seeking more control over their natural resources to ensure local processing and economic benefits. To hear more, listen to this conversation on This Week in Global Development.

In this special edition of our podcast, This week in global development, we explore the critical yet often overlooked issue of oral health with guests Anil Soni, CEO of the WHO Foundation, and Esha Gupta, Head of Public Health and Social Impact at Colgate-Palmolive.Despite oral diseases affecting 3.7 billion people and being among the most common noncommunicable diseases, oral health has historically been siloed from systemic health discussions. This conversation highlights how oral health serves as a vital gateway to overall wellness — and makes the case for oral health as a key starting point for early health interventions.Recorded during the World Economic Forum in Davos, the episode focuses on a landmark multiyear partnership between the WHO Foundation and Colgate-Palmolive to scale oral health education and policy globally. This collaboration aims to integrate oral care into primary health systems, particularly in countries with high disease burdens, by building on the legacy of the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures children’s oral health education program alongside the WHO’s normative guidance. By moving from a traditional aid model to a strategic investment approach, the partnership seeks to elevate oral health on the global public health agenda and advance healthier futures for all.To hear more about this initiative and the case for investing in oral health, listen to this conversation with Anil Soni and Esha Gupta on the Devex podcast.