Closing the A.I. Gap Among High-Income Countries, Emerging Markets, and Developing Economies
In September 2025, Columbia Global Center Amman hosted Professor Yanis Ben Amor, Executive Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at the Climate School, Columbia University, for a public talk titled Closing the A.I. Gap Among High-Income Countries, Emerging Markets, and Developing Economies.
Professor Ben Amor shared insights on the global implications of A.I. and approaches to ensuring more equitable access. While A.I. technologies, particularly Large Language Models such as ChatGPT, offer numerous opportunities for enhancing education, research, and innovation, their widespread adoption and effective utilization require substantial resources, infrastructure, and expertise. This discrepancy in resources between developed and developing countries could widen the gap between their respective universities, and their ability to use or develop these A.I. technologies.
The event, in partnership with the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, examined how the availability of computational power, data availability, talent readiness, and financial resources all play a crucial role in determining the capacity to train and deploy advanced A.I. models. It also suggests solutions, particularly for developers when designing, developing, or deploying A.I. models, to prevent a widening digital divide brought by A.I. between the Global South and the Global North.
With a long-standing focus on learning and innovation - including public events, educational workshops, fellowships, and practical trainings - Columbia Global Center Amman connects local and global expertise and perspectives. Contact us to explore opportunities to partner, collaborate, or participate in our upcoming programs and events. We remain committed to advancing our work together across our key thematic areas.
Speaker Spotlight
Executive Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at the Climate School at Columbia University, Assistant Professor of Global Health and Microbiological Sciences, and the Director of the Columbia-wide “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work” initiative launched with FII Institute.
Professor Yanis Ben Amor has over 20 years of research experience developing digital tools.
Professor Ben Amor has developed digital tools for tuberculosis patients to facilitate their adherence, for HIV-positive mothers to help them prevent vertical transmission of the virus, for malaria control programs to monitor use of resources for an effective control strategy, and more recently, for Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan to provide health information and healthcare access. Prof. Ben Amor has previously worked for several organizations such as the Pasteur Institute (Paris, France).
He is currently leading several projects involving A.I., as part of digital applications that expand health access for vulnerable populations in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). He has also launched a Columbia-wide initiative to study the impact of A.I. on the future of work and education, with a particular focus on LMICs.
Prof. Ben Amor has a PhD in Molecular Biology. He has published widely in infectious diseases, global health, and prevention. He is also regularly a speaker on behalf of Columbia University and the Climate School/Earth Institute at various conferences worldwide.