We don't know why Malawi is poor — and what that means for AI-and-growth forecasts

Published on May 12, 2026 1:06 PM GMTI had a conversation with someone who claimed offhandedly that AI will dramatically raise agricultural productivity (via agritech advancements) in low-income countries and trigger growth as a result. My instinct was to respond that we've already had substantial advancements in agricultural technology, and yet it hasn't resulted in the magnitude of yield growth, let alone economic growth, you'd expect in many countries. We'd need to explain that before knowing...