Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most impactful technological developments today. Currently, AI development is focused in the Global North, particularly in the USA, with India and China standing out as exceptions. While this distribution is not surprising, it leads to growing concern that Low- and Middle- Income Countries (LMICs) may be (once again) left behind in the race to benefit from these technological advancements.

This is where the concept of localizing AI comes into play. In this working paper, we argue that localizing AI can ensure the benefits of AI are distributed more equitably across the globe and result in AI solutions that are more context-specific and therefore more effective.