The World Economic Forum (WEF) has released a comprehensive new report that explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can foster inclusive economic growth and societal progress. While AI has the potential to reshape economies and societies, the report underscores the significant challenge of ensuring that its benefits are shared equitably across the globe. The WEF’s report offers key strategies for addressing equity concerns, tailoring AI solutions to local needs, and driving sustainable, long-term economic growth.

Titled Blueprint for Intelligent Economies, the report was developed in collaboration with KPMG and provides a roadmap for governments, businesses, and other stakeholders to advance AI adoption at the national, regional, and global levels. Part of the Forum’s AI Competitiveness through Regional Collaboration Initiative, the report aims to tackle disparities in AI access, infrastructure, computing capabilities, and skills.

“We must recognize that while leveraging AI for economic growth and societal progress is a shared goal, countries and regions start from very different positions,” said Cathy Li, Head of AI, Data, and the Metaverse at the World Economic Forum. “This blueprint serves as a compass, guiding decision-makers toward impact-oriented collaboration and practical solutions that can unlock AI’s full potential.”

National and Regional Collaboration Key to Success

Central to the report’s findings is the emphasis on designing AI strategies that involve a wide range of stakeholders—including governments, businesses, entrepreneurs, civil society, and end-users. Such strategies must be locally driven, supported by high-level leadership, and developed in close consultation with communities to address pressing issues like governance, data privacy, and the impact of AI policies on innovation and investment.

“The significant potential of AI remains largely untapped in many regions worldwide. Establishing an inclusive and competitive AI ecosystem will become a crucial priority for all nations,” remarked Solly Malatsi, Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies of South Africa. “Collaboration among multiple stakeholders at the national, regional, and global levels will be essential in fostering growth and prosperity through AI for everyone.”

Tailored Frameworks for AI Development

The Blueprint for Intelligent Economies draws on global expertise to offer tailored frameworks for nations at different stages of AI development. The report highlights how successful solutions from other regions can be adapted to overcome local challenges. For instance, sharing AI infrastructure and energy resources across regions can alleviate national resource limitations, while centralized data banks can ensure local datasets reflect the diverse needs of communities. Public-private partnerships can also make AI-ready devices more affordable, allowing local innovators to scale their operations.

“All nations have a unique opportunity to advance their economic and societal progress through AI,” said Hatem Dowidar, CEO of E&. “This requires a collaborative approach with intentional leadership from governments, supported by active engagement from all stakeholders at all stages of the AI journey. Regional and global collaborations remain fundamental to addressing shared challenges and ensuring equitable access to key AI capabilities.”

Top Strategic Objectives for AI Development

The report outlines nine strategic objectives to guide AI strategies globally, focusing on three top priorities:

1. Building Sustainable AI Infrastructure: Developing secure, scalable, and environmentally responsible AI systems is essential for unlocking growth. However, this requires significant investment and cross-sector collaboration.
2. Curating Diverse and High-Quality Datasets: Data is critical to developing fair, accurate, and equitable AI models. Overcoming challenges like data accessibility, imbalance, and ownership is key to creating datasets that reflect the diversity of populations.
3. Establishing Robust Ethical and Safety Guardrails: Ethical frameworks and safety standards are necessary to ensure that AI benefits society while minimizing risks. Preventing misuse and promoting responsible development will help build public trust in AI.

The report advocates for a multi-layered approach to advancing these objectives, starting with a focus on sustainable infrastructure and energy use, followed by embedding AI across sectors to drive innovation, and ending with a people-centered approach that prioritizes workforce empowerment and ethical governance.

Public-Private Partnerships Critical for Global AI Adoption

The WEF report also underscores the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors to accelerate AI adoption. Governments, by implementing supportive policies and incentivizing continuous learning, can unlock AI’s potential as a growth engine and ensure that workers thrive in an AI-powered world.

In support of this vision, the AI Governance Alliance is launching Regional AI Activation Networks. These initiatives, set to roll out across the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia throughout 2025, aim to deliver tailored programs that enhance AI capabilities, promote local data governance, and foster resilient AI value chains in regional ecosystems.

With this new report, the World Economic Forum continues to drive the conversation on how to harness AI for equitable growth, ensuring that no region or community is left behind as the world moves into an increasingly AI-powered future.

An intriguing study led by Professor Anirban Bhunia at the Bose Institute in Kolkata, India, offers new hope for those battling Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other neurodegenerative conditions. The research, published in two journals, explores a novel multipronged approach to treatment that combines modern scientific methods with ancient Ayurvedic medicine.

Amyloid proteins, particularly amyloid beta (Aβ), are known to play a significant role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. These proteins accumulate in the brain, forming toxic plaques that disrupt normal brain function. Professor Bhunia and his team have been investigating strategies to prevent the aggregation of amyloid beta proteins, a key factor in the progression of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

In their latest study, the researchers employed two distinct strategies. The first involved the use of chemically synthesized small molecules, specifically designed peptides, which have shown promise in inhibiting amyloid aggregation. The second strategy repurposed an ancient Ayurvedic formulation, Lasunadya Ghrita (LG), which has long been used in traditional Indian medicine to treat depression and related mental health disorders.

This study highlights a novel role for Ayurvedic compounds in combating amyloid-related diseases

“We have demonstrated that the water extract of Lasunadya Ghrita (LGWE) is particularly effective in breaking down amyloid beta aggregates,” said Professor Bhunia. “Remarkably, these compounds were more effective than chemically designed peptides in reducing the toxicity of amyloid aggregates, breaking them down into smaller, non-toxic molecules.”

The team’s research revealed that LGWE not only disrupted the elongation of amyloid fibrils but also inhibited the formation of toxic oligomers in the early stages of aggregation. This study highlights a novel role for Ayurvedic compounds in combating amyloid-related diseases.

In their findings, which were published in Biochemistry (ACS) and Biophysical Chemistry (Elsevier), Professor Bhunia and his collaborators from the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP) Kolkata and IIT-Guwahati confirmed that both the synthetic peptides and the natural compounds derived from Ayurveda were non-toxic and stable in serum. These compounds proved effective in inhibiting amyloid protein aggregation, offering new avenues for treatment.

Further collaboration with Ayurveda expert Professor Dr. Sanjeev Rastogi from Lucknow University in India’s Uttar Pradesh state emphasized the potential of integrating natural remedies into modern therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases. Their combined research sheds light on how Ayurvedic compounds can not only inhibit amyloid beta aggregation but also enhance the breakdown of these proteins more effectively than synthetic peptides.

“This study brings new hope for Alzheimer’s patients and demonstrates that ancient Ayurvedic medicine may have a modern-day role in treating complex diseases like dementia,” said Dr. Rastogi. “The potential of these natural compounds to address amyloid aggregation could revolutionize the way we approach treatment for these debilitating conditions.”

This innovative research underscores the importance of exploring both modern science and traditional medicine in the search for effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders. It paves the way for further exploration of natural compounds and could significantly improve the quality of life for those suffering from dementia in the future.

While reading a local newspaper about the earthquake-induced destruction in his village, a villager named Prajapati was struck by a photo caption that read, “Poor Man’s Fridge Broken.” The photo depicted a broken clay pot that villagers used to keep water cool. The term “fridge” sparked an idea in Mansukhbhai Raghavjibhai Prajapati’s mind: why not create a refrigerator out of clay for the villagers? A real fridge that needs no electricity and is affordable for everyone.

And thus, India’s first clay fridge was born. Made entirely of clay and equipped with a glass door, this innovative fridge cools the food chamber through evaporation, as water flows down its sides from an upper water chamber. No electricity or batteries are required, and there is no pollution. Prajapati started selling his fridge for a mere ₹2000. Initially in his village, then across India, and eventually to international markets. Prajapati continually improved his product, despite having never completed formal schooling. This is the story of a humble villager’s invention.

Jugaad: An Innovative Mindset

Jugaad refers to a unique approach to challenges and responses. It is the strategy of finding opportunities and crafting solutions in any adverse situation by using available limited resources innovatively. Essentially, it embodies the philosophy of “Doing more with less.”

In our daily lives, we all practice Jugaad. We repurpose soft drink or pickle bottles for kitchen storage, use pockets from old clothes to store items, plant in discarded tires, and modify bicycles for business utility. These are all examples of small and large Jugaad happening around us.

The key is to see challenges and obstacles as opportunities. We need to train our eyes and minds to penetrate the surrounding problems and think of innovative solutions. The issues we face in our society are fertile grounds for entrepreneurial ideas. There are numerous challenges ahead of us to build businesses. Each individual must find solutions and turn them into businesses.

Jugaad in Business

Jugaad should not be seen as just an approach in the lives of ordinary people. Businesses too can practice Jugaad. Encourage minds within enterprises to think creatively. Such minds will contribute ideas to improve the business continuously. Creativity will keep the business innovative. Entrepreneurs must welcome open, thinking minds. Make Jugaad a culture, and continually improve the business.