India, Dec. 4 -- At the just-concluded G20 summit in South Africa, where the agenda was themed "solidarity, equality, sustainability", Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a "global AI compact" to ensure AI is human-centred, open-source, and inclusive. This signals a meaningful shift in how technology is being tied to development and equity - and its transition from being a blue sky, futuristic buzzword.

AI is an important tool for development efforts - a new tool in addressing the old challenges. With inclusive design, they can leapfrog solutions to legacy constraints. Take health care for instance. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2021, roughly 4.5 billion people globally - i.e., close to half of the world's popu...