{"id":994,"date":"2026-07-07T10:56:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T10:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/07\/07\/what-will-ai-do-for-us-young-adults-in-lower-income-countries-feel-more-positive-about-its-potential-new-survey\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T10:56:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T10:56:08","slug":"what-will-ai-do-for-us-young-adults-in-lower-income-countries-feel-more-positive-about-its-potential-new-survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/07\/07\/what-will-ai-do-for-us-young-adults-in-lower-income-countries-feel-more-positive-about-its-potential-new-survey\/","title":{"rendered":"What will AI do for us? Young adults in lower-income countries feel more positive about its potential \u2013 new survey"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span> i_am_zews\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Young people in low- and middle-income countries appear generally more optimistic about how AI can enhance their work prospects and social lives than their western peers<\/a>, according to our new survey of people in ten countries in Africa and South Asia.<\/p>\n

While debates in higher-income countries often focus on job losses<\/a>, misinformation<\/a> and mental health risks<\/a>, many of the 1,864 young adults we surveyed (all aged 18-35) placed more emphasis on the opportunities artificial intelligence<\/a> tools present for them. In particular, nearly 80% of our participants expect AI to deliver improved education and learning for them.<\/p>\n

Until now, there has been little evidence of how young people in middle- and low-income countries use AI, and how they feel about this technology \u2013 for good and bad. The 2026 youth AI survey<\/a> \u2013 run by global charity Restless Development<\/a> and academics from the universities of Makerere<\/a> in Uganda and Cambridge<\/a> in the UK \u2013 seeks to correct this imbalance. <\/p>\n

It comes immediately after the UN Independent International Scientific Panel released its preliminary report<\/a> on AI. Commenting on the need for more science about AI\u2019s use around the world, the UN\u2019s secretary general, Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, admitted: \u201cThe world cannot govern what it cannot understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our responses were collected in Angola, Kenya, India, Nepal, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe \u2013 with the UK included for comparison. Two-thirds of respondents said they use AI every day, with Meta AI<\/a> the most common tool, followed by Claude<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The extent of AI use is striking given the obstacles many young people encounter. In every African country surveyed except Nigeria, more than half said high data costs limit their access. Weak internet connections and a lack of digital skills were also raised, with many relying on basic-feature phones. By contrast, UK participants said ethical concerns played a stronger role in limiting their AI usage.<\/p>\n

AI work opportunities<\/h2>\n

While few respondents (14%) said they earn income directly from AI tools yet, half expected AI to improve their employment and economic opportunities within the next five years. <\/p>\n

Currently, AI\u2019s main work-related uses among our respondents are learning new skills and job searches. In almost every lower-income country, young people held broadly positive attitudes about AI\u2019s future role in their working lives \u2013 although many (32%-50% per country) expressed concerned about its impact on their future income.<\/p>\n

How will your income be affected by AI?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n \"Chart<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n Sonal Gupta\/Youth AI Survey 2026<\/a>, CC BY-SA<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among those from lower-income countries, more than seven in ten thought AI would bring them better education and learning opportunities in the near future. A 28-year-old self-employed man in Nepal commented: \u201cAI has the potential to empower young people in developing countries like Nepal by improving access to knowledge, digital skills, and economic opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our sentiment analysis found respondents to be most positive in Tanzania and Zambia, with young women there even more upbeat than young men. In the UK, young men diverged from their international peers in feeling more negative towards AI and work.<\/p>\n

Biggest AI concerns<\/h2>\n

Some respondents described AI tools as \u201cAmericanised\u201d, built around western norms and unable to grasp local nuance. They worried this could lead to their languages being further marginalised.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese AI tools are fed major languages that are spoken worldwide, unlike Shona,\u201d said a 25-year-old student in urban Zimbabwe. Shona is spoken by around 14 million people mainly in southern Africa, but is severely underserved by AI and other technology tools.<\/p>\n

A Ugandan respondent was similarly critical about provision for her native language, Luganda \u2013 the country\u2019s most widely spoken Indigenous language. \u201cAI barely knows the spellings, grammar and how to interpret sentences. It\u2019s not even familiar with our culture at all, which increases mistakes when we get to things concerning our own world.\u201d<\/p>\n

What most concerns you about AI?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n \"Chart<\/a>
\n Dark blue to light green reflects large to small proportions of respondents expressing \u2018high levels of concern\u2019 about the issues listed on x-axis.<\/span>
\n Sonal Gupta\/Youth AI Survey 2026<\/a>, CC BY-SA<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite the widespread belief that AI would improve education and training, some held strong reservations. A 21-year-old female student in rural Uganda said: \u201cSlowly by slowly, AI is making us dumb. We can no longer think for ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

The more often these young people use AI, the more worried they appear to be about it. The biggest concerns highlighted by daily users were around who owns their data and the power of AI companies.<\/p>\n

Concern about AI\u2019s environmental impact and the welfare of AI workers followed a similar pattern of higher usage co-existing with higher concern. Mental health is the only domain where non-users worry slightly more than daily users.<\/p>\n

Gender differences<\/h2>\n

Significantly more young men (38%) than women (23%) reported having \u201ca lot\u201d of AI knowledge. This probably reflects a combination of diverging gender self-confidence<\/a>, which tends to emerge from school age, and different levels of AI use. \u201cAI is scary but helpful too,\u201d said one female homemaker in urban Nepal.<\/p>\n

Almost twice as many men than women use AI to search for work (33% vs. 17%). This difference is probably rooted in gendered access to data and technology, as well as differing social roles \u2013 such as the tendency for women to do more care work<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What have you used AI for in the past month?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n \"Chart<\/a>
\n Note: the bars sum to more than 100% because many respondents have multiple uses for Al.<\/span>
\n Sonal Gupta\/Youth AI Survey 2026<\/a>, CC BY-SA<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In most of the ten lower-income countries surveyed, young women expressed greater concern about AI than men \u2013 with their biggest concern being over who owns their data. In the UK, 68% of young women were strongly concerned about data ownership, compared with 29% of men.<\/p>\n

What young people want from AI<\/h2>\n

Many of our participants stressed the need for cheaper data and internet connections that work well. But they also want AI tools that fit their lives and culture \u2013 and speak their language<\/a>. Until then, most recognise that talk of AI \u201cleapfrogging\u201d traditional stages of economic and social development is just that \u2013 talk.<\/p>\n

Some efforts to make AI more inclusive and relevant for lower-income countries are underway. These include initiatives for \u201cfrugal AI\u201d<\/a>, as well as regional collaborations such as Masakhane<\/a> for African languages and QuechuaBase<\/a> in Peru.<\/p>\n

How can AI be made safer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n \"Chart<\/a>
\n Note: the bars do not sum to 100% because survey participants selected multiple responses.<\/span>
\n Sonal Gupta<\/a>, CC BY-SA<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most of our participants framed AI safety as much more of a governance problem than a technical one. Many countries are establishing new AI policies<\/a>, shaped in part by global forums such as the UN-led AI for Good summits<\/a>. Overwhelmingly, our respondents agreed that governments, not tech companies, should be setting the rules when it comes to AI regulation and privacy protection.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Anna Barford receives funding from UKRI. She has previously been funded by the British Academy, Leverhulme Trust, ESRC, the Asian Development Bank, the Mastercard Foundation, and a philanthropic gift to the University from Unilever. She is a co-director of the Business Fights Poverty Institute and does consultancy work for the International Labour Organization. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Anthony Mugeere works as a Research Fellow for the Advocates Coalition for Development, Uganda’s leading thinktank specialising in advocacy and analysis on climate change. He has received funding from the British Academy and the Mastercard Foundation to conduct research on climate change and young people. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Giulia Occhini does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

i_am_zews\/Shutterstock Young people in low- and middle-income countries appear generally more optimistic about how AI can enhance their work prospects and social lives than their western peers, according to our new survey of people in ten countries in Africa and South Asia. While debates in higher-income countries often focus on job losses, misinformation and mental […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/994\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redzine.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}