As the morning sun shines on the shrimp ponds in Takeo Province, Cambodia, one by one drones can be seen taking off to begin their daily routine of distributing feed.
Meanwhile, a real-time monitoring system operates around the clock at the farm, sending water quality data to operators to enable them to make quick and accurate adjustments.
This smart technology is being implemented through the China-ASEAN Smart Agriculture Integrated Development Pilot Program, which demonstrates how artificial intelligence (AI) developed by China can help local industries become smarter and more efficient.
With the help of this smart technology, local shrimp farmers have more than tripled their annual income per hectare.
AI is increasingly becoming a powerful growth engine amidst the new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation. However, development disparities remain significant.
For years, global AI research and development resources have been highly concentrated, leaving many countries in the Global South struggling due to weak infrastructure, numerous technological barriers, and high costs. A
World Bank report shows that low- and middle-income countries lag significantly behind high-income economies in both the number of AI systems and available computing capacity.
Furthermore, a survey by the African Data Centres Association found that most of the world's data center capacity is concentrated in developed economies, with Africa accounting for less than 1 percent. Without international cooperation, the AI gap could widen the North-South divide and exacerbate global development disparities.
Against this backdrop, China's AI technology has the advantage of meeting the pressing need for AI solutions that are computationally demanding, lightweight, and easily scalable in developing countries.
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