In 1967, a farmer stood in a field in Punjab, India, holding seeds that looked no different from those his father and grandfather had planted. But these seeds (stocky, disease-resistant wheat varieties bred by Norman Borlaug) would help transform his family’s fortunes and feed hundreds of millions.

Within a decade, Punjab went from food scarcity to surplus, initiating what would come to be known as the Green Revolution.

The right technology, delivered at the right moment, can rewrite the destiny of entire generations.

Today, we stand at a similar inflection point. Artificial intelligence has the potential to become one of history’s most powerful tools for dismantling generational poverty, arriving at a time when entrepreneurship in the developing world is constrained not by ambition but by access to expertise and tools.

The pattern that changes everything

History reveals a consistent formula. Poverty retreats when three forces converge:

• A leap in productivity that increases earning potential;
• A democratized system of distribution; and
• Expert business knowledge previously unavailable in many parts of the world.

During the mid-20th century, the Green Revolution checked all three boxes. High-yielding seeds multiplied farm output. Government extension services and supply chains delivered those seeds to remote villages. Radio broadcasts and local agronomists translated complex agricultural science into practical guidance farmers could actually use.

The result wasn’t just more food — it was escape velocity from poverty. Studies show that even small increases in agricultural productivity significantly reduce poverty. Across Asia, a 1% rise in crop yields cuts poverty by almost 0.5%, while in India, the same gain can reduce poverty by up to 2% over the long term through better wages and lower food costs.

Mobile phones: The new infrastructure of opportunity

While AI differs from the Green Revolution, there are some similarities. Like the seeds distributed to millions of farmers, millions of people around the world have ready access to a powerful innovation. Across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the smartphone has become the new extension agent, clinic, bank branch and business advisor.

Kenya’s M-Pesa mobile money platform lifted roughly 194,000 households out of extreme poverty by helping Kenyans save more money to weather financial storms. Crucially, it enabled 185,000 women to shift from subsistence farming into business and retail occupations by easing money exchange, turning would-be entrepreneurs into actual business owners.

By building on the digital infrastructure already in people’s hands, AI can accelerate inclusive growth, turning connectivity into a catalyst for productivity, learning and innovation.

AI: Unlocking scalable productivity for entrepreneurs

Walk through many markets in Lagos, Manila, Guatemala City or São Paulo and you’ll see the same sights: Shopkeepers tracking inventory in notebooks. Street vendors guessing at demand-driven prices. Service providers operating on word of mouth alone.

What factors could boost their productivity? Access to the analytics and data that businesses in wealthy countries use routinely.

We already see this change taking place: With increased access to phones and AI technology, a small retail shop owner in rural India can now ask an AI assistant (in her native language) to analyze her sales patterns. A seamstress in Kenya can leverage AI to generate professional marketing content. A textile merchant in Guatemala can implement AI-powered market analysis to time his purchases. A manufacturer in Bangladesh can employ AI-powered quality controls to compete with larger factories.

AI-powered business tools are helping entrepreneurs in developing economies write professional communications, create marketing materials, analyze financials, forecast demand and optimize inventory. Capabilities that once required expensive consultants are becoming accessible to anyone with a smartphone.

AI: Empowering smarter decisions for microbusiness owners

Artificial intelligence is giving entrepreneurs in developing countries the tools to make smarter decisions — helping their families become more self-reliant and improving their circumstances. What was once a distant technology is now a practical, everyday ally for small business owners, farmers and workers striving to build better lives.

For instance, if a smallholder farmer in rural Maharashtra uses an AI advisor that synthesizes satellite weather data, soil conditions and market prices, she may see yield increases as much as 15 percent. That increase becomes the difference between subsistence and surplus.

As AI surges into emerging markets, a food cart operator in Mexico City could implement AI-powered inventory management, and a street vendor in Rio might use AI translation to serve tourists. The increasing access to AI is allowing these entrepreneurs to compete more effectively, gain confidence in their decision-making, and create new opportunities for their families and communities.

The reality check

Turning AI’s potential into real progress won’t happen automatically. Microfinance once carried similar hopes for alleviating poverty, and rigorous evaluations showed modest to average effects. The lesson? Access to credit alone isn’t enough. Entrepreneurs need competency, not just capital.

AI faces the same challenge. Its impact will vary widely — powerful in some contexts, underwhelming in others. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warns that many emerging economies lack the digital infrastructure, governance frameworks and human capital needed to fully harness AI’s benefits while minimizing its risks.

What makes AI different is we’ve learned from past mistakes. AI doesn’t just provide capital or products: It supplements capability, acting as the analyst, advisor or operations expert most small entrepreneurs have never had.

Planting the seeds for the next revolution

The path to making AI a driver of inclusion demands intention and humility. We must build on the infrastructure people already rely on, design in languages they understand, fund results that can be proven and invest in local talent and leadership — so AI solutions emerge from communities, not just reach them.

The wheat seeds of the Green Revolution didn’t plant themselves. Progress required farmers willing to take risks, governments willing to invest and scientists willing to adapt. Its success came not only from better seeds but from enabling better agricultural businesses.

AI holds similar potential. With the right infrastructure, governance and commitment to equity, it could write a new chapter in humanity’s effort to reduce poverty — not because artificial intelligence is smarter than human intelligence, but because it helps human potential reach farther and faster where it’s needed most.

The question isn’t whether AI can fight poverty — it’s whether we’ll build the systems to ensure that it does. True progress will come not from aid alone but from empowering entrepreneurs to create sustainable businesses that drive lasting prosperity.

Cameron Crowther is President of the Academy for Creating Enterprise, a Provo-based nonprofit that teaches individuals in developing nations how to become entrepreneurs.