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AI for Development: Stretching Scarce Resources
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a topic of conversation across The Convergence Foundation’s (TCF) networks – it is already being deployed. What is worth noting is the diversity of what it looks like in practice. The use cases span domains, mechanisms, and types of problems that resist easy summary, and that picture should shape how the broader philanthropic and development sector thinks about where to invest next. What makes the work across our portfolio distinctive is that these organisations are present close to impact, embedded in government systems, working with frontline workers, and accountable to measurable outcomes. That proximity gives them an unusually clear view of where the real bottlenecks lie, and it is shaping a thoughtful, grounded approach to how AI gets integrated: not as a technology overlay, but as a genuine response to problems they understand deeply. Central Square Foundation (CSF) works across the EdTech ecosystem – supporting the creation of high-quality learning solutions, generating evidence on what works, helping governments adopt effective software, and creating public goods for the sector. National-level outcomes in foundational literacy and numeracy have improved under the NIPUN Bharat Mission, with CSF serving as a key knowledge partner. AI is now being brought to bear to sustain and deepen those gains. In February, CSF hosted a national dialogue on AI and education – a satellite event of the India AI Impact Summit that brought the Union Education Minister to the table alongside global philanthropies, state governments, and the leading EdTech innovators working at India's scale. At the same event, CSF released the Bharat Survey for EdTech - a comprehensive national picture of how technology is actually reaching low-income learners.
