{
  "id": 2926080,
  "title": "Wealthy nations fear AI, but Singapore embraces it: Here’s why",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/wealthy-nations-fear-ai-but-singapore-embraces-it-heres-why",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-24T02:47:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Business Times - Singapore",
    "slug": "the-business-times-singapore",
    "url": "https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/opinion-features/wealthy-nations-fear-ai-singapore-embraces-it-heres-why"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The World Bank's recent World Development Report 2026 highlights a stark contrast in attitudes towards artificial intelligence (AI) between wealthy and developing nations. Americans, Italians, and Australians express concern about AI, while Nigerians, Indians, and Kenyans are more excited about its potential. Despite being the inventors and primary beneficiaries of AI, developed countries are the most anxious about its disruptive effects, while developing nations are comparatively unconcerned.\n\nThe report suggests that the developing economies stand to gain more from AI than lose, and fear AI less than rich countries. This is due to the different nature of jobs and the exposure to automation. In low- and middle-income countries, nearly 90% of workers are employed in firms with fewer than 10 people, doing manual work such as agriculture, retail, and informal services. Generative AI is more likely to automate white-collar jobs, which make up a smaller portion of the workforce in poorer economies.\n\nHowever, the productivity gains from AI are expected to be more than double in advanced economies because they are adopting the technology faster and more broadly. This creates a trust gap between developed and developing economies. A KPMG-University of Melbourne global trust study found that only 39% of people in advanced economies trust AI systems, while 57% in emerging economies do. Similar patterns emerge in surveys from Ipsos and Pew.\n\nThree key mechanisms contribute to this trust gap: the nature of jobs and the potential for AI to displace or complement them, the familiarity and previous experience with IT in developed countries, and the previous positive impact of digital technology on emerging economies. AI-enabled financial inclusion in countries like India and China has given people a taste of the benefits of digital disruption, making them more receptive to AI.",
  "summary": "Singapore’s population trusts its government’s capacity to manage disruption – through retraining and regulation",
  "key_points": [
    "Wealthy nations fear AI's disruptive effects more than developing countries.",
    "Developing economies stand to gain more from AI than lose, with higher productivity gains.",
    "Trust gap exists between developed and developing economies in AI adoption."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Singapore's enthusiastic embrace of AI contrasts with wealthy nations' fear, reflecting a broader pattern where developing economies see AI as a gain, while developed countries worry about its disruptive effects.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Vietnam Investment Review",
        "title": "AIMX Singapore summit convenes 60 nations for AI adoption",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/aimx-singapore-summit-convenes-60-nations-for-ai-adoption",
        "published": "2026-08-24T09:40:46.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}