“Emerging markets are uniquely positioned to ‘leapfrog’ legacy development models by building AI-native public services from the ground up.”
In partnership with Google and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
The big picture
Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a transformative opportunity for governments in emerging economies to fundamentally reimagine and enhance public services, ultimately delivering tangible and sustainable value for their citizens. This dialogue brought together leaders from emerging economies in Latin America, the Middle East and African countries, alongside representatives of international organisations, the private sector, academia, civil society and leading AI practitioners. Participants focused on how adopting AI can transform public services that deliver tangible and sustainable value for citizens in emerging economies, and identified concrete initiatives to promote public sector AI adoption, use and innovation. The discussion built on strategies and reports including Wilton Park’s December 2024 event on ‘Successfully Harnessing AI in Africa’ and the Google-commissioned AI Works for Governments report delivered by PwC, which emphasises readiness assessment, prioritised use-case selection, talent development, partnerships, institutional AI frameworks and strategies, policy foundations and enablers, and measurable outcomes as key drivers of public sector AI adoption.
The following points highlight the primary themes that surfaced during the event as key opportunities and challenges:
- Trust as infrastructure. ‘Shadow AI’ undermines legitimacy; every AI-supported decision needs a clearly accountable human owner.
- Risk of non-adoption. In already overstretched public systems, the risk of non-adoption is comparable to the risks of deployment, creating strategic time pressure for governments to act deliberately and at scale.
- Institutional readiness is the binding constraint. Countries cluster into four archetypes (Explorers, Infra Ready, Governance Ready, Leaders) requiring tailored sequencing of investment.
Conclusions
Emerging economies stand at a rare inflection point: the chance to leapfrog legacy models and build AI-native public services that strengthen national capabilities, improve lives, and fuel economic growth while carefully managing risk and building profound trust. Seizing it demands a proactive, strategic, and citizen-centric approach that integrates technological advancement with institutional reform, citizen empowerment, and an unwavering commitment to public value, guided by pragmatic leadership and a learning mindset.
To convert ambition into impact, governments must anchor strategies in citizen outcomes rather than pilot counts; move beyond “pilot-itis” by designing for scale, sustainability, or termination from day one; advance the four enablers of cloud-first policies, national AI skills, modernised data systems, and risk-based regulation; invest in inclusive, locally relevant systems rooted in local languages and sovereign deployments; leverage regional cooperation that transfers capability rather than products; and institutionalise continuous learning through peer networks, knowledge hubs, and trust playbooks. The mandate is clear: act now, act together, and act in service of citizens.
Priority actions from the dialogue
- Establish a trust playbook: Develop scenario-based guidance on communication, service design and public engagement to build and sustain citizen trust in government AI.
- Build a shared repository of use cases: Capture lessons from successful and unsuccessful pilots so countries can avoid repeating mistakes and accelerate effective scaling.
- Advance AI diplomacy and capacity building: Partner with universities and multilateral bodies to train a new cadre of officials in AI governance, procurement and leadership.
- Explore innovative financing models: Close the funding gap for large-scale AI infrastructure through regional cooperation, blended finance and pooled compute initiatives.