# World Bank Group launches first digital strategy and AI readiness initiative

> A new strategy sets four priorities for digital access and services; a parallel initiative will explore shared pay-as-you-go GPU capacity in Africa and Latin America.

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- Publisher: Newsverum
- Section: Technology
- Published: 2026-10-21T00:44:04+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-21T00:44:04+00:00
- Event / data period: 2026-10-20
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The World Bank Group launched its first digital strategy in Seoul on 20 October. It sets priorities for connectivity, affordable devices and data, digital services and skills, and foundations for artificial intelligence, with privacy, cybersecurity and fraud safeguards across the programme.

The release says more than two billion people were offline globally in 2025; internet use was 23% in low-income countries and 94% in high-income countries. A separate AI Infrastructure and Readiness Initiative will initially focus on Africa and Latin America, exploring shared pay-as-you-go GPU infrastructure rather than standalone national data centres.

## Data

### Internet use in 2025

Offline population and internet use by income group in the World Bank release.

Methodology: The source reports 2025 global and income-group figures; these are not country rankings or forecasts.

| Group | Internet use |
|---|---|
| Low-income countries | 23 |
| High-income countries | 94 |

Sources: <https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2026/10/20/world-bank-group-launches-first-digital-strategy-to-expand-access-and-create-jobs> · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/world-bank-launches-first-digital-strategy-and-ai-readiness-initiative/data/internet-use?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/world-bank-launches-first-digital-strategy-and-ai-readiness-initiative/data/internet-use?lang=en&format=csv)

### Strategy launch

Digital strategy and AI infrastructure initiative introduced.

Methodology: The source reports 2025 global and income-group figures; these are not country rankings or forecasts.

| date | label | description | status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-20 | Seoul launch | The World Bank Group launched its first digital strategy. | occurred |

Sources: <https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2026/10/20/world-bank-group-launches-first-digital-strategy-to-expand-access-and-create-jobs> · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/world-bank-launches-first-digital-strategy-and-ai-readiness-initiative/data/strategy-launch?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/world-bank-launches-first-digital-strategy-and-ai-readiness-initiative/data/strategy-launch?lang=en&format=csv)

## Sources

- [World Bank Group](<https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2026/10/20/world-bank-group-launches-first-digital-strategy-to-expand-access-and-create-jobs>) (Source checked: 2026-10-21; Published: 2026-10-20)

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