Singapore

WorldBank President Ajay Banga has called for the deployment of "Small AI" - locally deployed artificial intelligence running on inexpensive hardware, speaking local languages and solving daily problems for farmers and rural communities.

Speaking at the ATX Singapore 2026 technology summit, Banga cited the example of a farmer in India's Uttar Pradesh sharing a photograph of a diseased crop leaf through an old mobile phone and receiving diagnosis and treatment advice from agricultural experts in the region.

He also highlighted how a nurse in Indonesia could share a photograph of a rash with a network of clinics running a local diagnostic model through a basic internet connection or older mobile connectivity. These are daily use cases of AI that do not get enough attention, Banga told around 4,000 delegates from 50 countries attending the May 20-22 summit in Singapore. He underlined that inexpensive and affordable local technology can become a force for good and offer a major opportunity for emerging markets if deployed in rural regions.

Singapore-based technology entrepreneur Saurav Mukherjee said AI adoption would increasingly move beyond manufacturing and services into agriculture and food cultivation, as the technology need not always be expensive.

He said farmers could use AI tools to assess seed quality before sowing, access advanced information on weather, soil conditions, rainfall and water availability. Mukherjee also said patients in remote villages could use basic mobile technology to share symptoms with nurses or nearby clinics, helping establish first contact for treatment.

"Why not create such connections for the comfort of the less fortunate," he said, adding that internet connectivity across India was expanding rapidly and 5G services had reached remote regions. Mukherjee said advanced technologies were attracting major investments globally but warned that shortages of skilled manpower could emerge as a bottleneck in AI adoption.

"There are no options, for AI brings efficiency and productivity in the workplace and enterprises across are adopting it for the daily work flow," said Mukherjee, founder of Singapore-based ORCA Media. He said governments should adopt a more aggressive approach towards funding technology adoption and creating incentives for private sector investments.