The Executive Director, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Prof. Marcelo Knobel, said Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to close the scientific gap between developing and developed countries.
In a virtual interview on Tuesday, Knobel said that the potentials lies particularly in research, education, and healthcare among others.
He stated that TWAS’s long-standing mission to support scientists in the global South aligned strongly with the possibilities AI offers for sustainable development.
“For four decades, TWAS has dedicated itself to empowering scientists in the global South.
“Artificial Intelligence represents a transformative tool that, when deployed with foresight and equity, opens unprecedented opportunities for society.
“I see tremendous potential in education, where AI can revolutionise teaching methodologies and enhance learning outcomes; in climate science, where it can accelerate solutions for our most pressing environmental challenges; and in medicine and humanitarian assistance, where it can dramatically improve healthcare delivery and emergency response in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.
“The key is ensuring that these AI advancements benefit all societies equally, which aligns perfectly with TWAS’s mission of scientific capacity building in the developing world,” the Italy-based Knobel said.
He further said that AI’s application in real-time translation, experimental design, and advanced data analysis was already transforming research capacity in emerging economies.
“AI helps researchers in institutions with limited access to journals or infrastructure to participate in global scientific discourse,” Knobel said.
The don explained that early-career scientists in the global South are among the biggest beneficiaries of AI-powered tools.
According to him, they now have access to cutting-edge technologies that reduce traditional barriers to collaboration and innovation.
The TWAS director said although the academy currently does not run dedicated AI programmes, the organisation had supported several AI-related research initiatives through existing fellowships and grants.
He cited the case of a Pakistani PhD graduate conducting AI research in China, and an Ethiopian computer scientist using machine learning to combat malaria in Italy.
“TWAS also funded a Malaysian female researcher developing AI-assisted lung cancer diagnosis tools and has awarded AI-related grants to early-career scientists in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Benin and Mali under the Seed Grant for New African Principal Investigators (SG-NAPI) programme.
“We are exploring new collaborations that can drive AI solutions tailored to local needs – from climate adaptation to healthcare and educational technologies,” he said.
Knobel disclosed that TWAS was consulting its global network of Fellows and Alumni to design AI initiatives targeted at challenges specific to the global South.
