A Tshwane University of Technology artificial intelligence expert is representing the institution at a World Bank Group regional consultation in Pretoria this week, contributing to the analytical framework for the upcoming World Development Report 2026, themed “Artificial Intelligence for Development.”
Prof. Anish Kurien, acting director of the TUT AI Hub, is participating in the consultation, hosted by the World Bank’s Institute for Economic Development and co-sponsored by the University of Pretoria’s African Institute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. The event runs from March 18-21 at the University of Pretoria.
The consultation is examining AI’s role in jobs and productivity, its application in service delivery across health, education and social security programs, and the regulatory preparedness of developing countries for AI governance. The discussions will inform the policy recommendations of the World Development Report 2026, which is expected to be released later this year.
Kurien is a recognized AI expert in South Africa. In August 2025, he was among experts invited by Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Mondli Gungubele to discuss the formation of a network of experts to develop sectoral implementation plans for the country’s approved AI policy.
In 2024, Kurien co-authored a study with Dr. Bienvenu Agbokponto Soglo, director of government affairs in Africa for Intel, that found many sub-Saharan countries were less prepared to take advantage of the economic opportunities generated by AI adoption. The study, titled “A Study on the AI Landscape of Universities in Africa,” also assessed the continent’s readiness to equip its workforce with AI skills.
