The World Bank will now fund infrastructure before funding AI apps

The World Bank is changing how it operates, aiming to be faster and less bureaucratic. This means it will shift from directly funding many small projects to supporting larger, more systemic changes in countries.

For years, development agencies assumed that once AI tools were available, poorer countries would catch up. This document shows the World Bank is now prioritizing foundational infrastructure like electricity and internet access. This shift acknowledges that technology alone cannot solve development challenges without basic operational capacity.