"AI will transform development" - but what's actually being talked about?
The Lab's Geordie Fung, argues the transformation can be understood through 3 lenses: AI for efficiency, AI for effectiveness, and AI as a force reshaping development trajectories
www.devintelligencelab.com/analyses/ai-...
In such cases, geostrategic, security, diplomatic or economic objectives may be determinative, provided development remains a secondary or complementary focus.
🔴 Read our latest brief to learn more about NODA here 👉 www.devintelligencelab.com/analyses/non...
⚫ The converse is true for non-ODA support for development.
While not formally defined, it captures spending that does not meet ODA criteria but nonetheless contributes to sustainable development.
Broader objectives (geostrategic, security, diplomatic and economic) can inform decision-making, but they should not displace or undermine the primary goal of promoting the economic development and welfare of lower and middle income countries.
What is non-ODA support for development (NODA)?
⚫ The primary objective of Official Development Assistance (ODA) is the sustainable development of the recipient country.
The brief concludes that non-ODA support is a promising building block for a new development paradigm in Australia.
🔴 Read the full brief by Lab’s Strategic Advisor, Michael McKenzie, here 👉 www.devintelligencelab.com/analyses/non...
⚫ Further guidance on the use of non-ODA support alongside Official Development Assistance (ODA) would help sharpen the development program as an element of statecraft while preserving its core development purpose.
⚫ Non-ODA (NODA) support has moved from the margins to the mainstream of Australia’s development cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
⚫ When purposefully deployed, non-ODA support enables greater scale, flexibility and coherence in development cooperation.
In recent years, Australia’s non-ODA (NODA) support to countries in the region has grown dramatically. Yet uncertainty remains about the nature and development impact of this funding.
Our new brief ‘Non-ODA support and the future of development cooperation’ looks at this issue and finds:
Explore the debate 👉 www.devintelligencelab.com/intel/10march2026
“Pacific Island countries have the lowest level of female political representation in the world. Women in Asia and the Pacific work the longest hours in the world, with 80% of unpaid care work in the region done by women. Climate shocks and conflict are widening these gaps.”
The Intel’s editor, Victoria Cooper, sets the scene for this fortnight’s question and why it deserves to be asked:
Explore the points of agreement, tension, and difference here 👉 www.devintelligencelab.com/intel/10marc...
This fortnight’s Intel featured insights from Renat Muruket and Jocelyn Condon, Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, and Beth Eggleston responding to the question:
🔴 When does ‘gender mainstreaming’ become ‘gender washing’?
Multiple perspectives. Different angles.
Explore their three competing views, here 👉 www.devintelligencelab.com/intel/10marc...
Don’t miss an edition, sign up to our list to get the Intel straight to your inbox 👉 www.devintelligencelab.com#launch-section
Our expert contributors pitch in:
⚫ Femili PNG’s Renat Muruket and FemiliPNG Australia’s Jocelyn Condon
⚫ GPPAC Pacific & Pacific Women Mediators Network’s Sharon Bhagwan Rolls
⚫ Humanitarian Advisory Group’s Beth Eggleston
This fortnight on the Intel we ask:
🔴 When does ‘gender mainstreaming’ become ‘gender washing’?
"Governments around the world are grappling with how to harness the technology’s immense potential for good and mitigate the risks of its evils."
Explore the debate 👉 www.devintelligencelab.com/intel/24february2026
The Intel’s editor, Victoria Cooper, sets the scene for this fortnight’s question and why it deserves to be asked:
"Few abbreviations elicit as buzzy reactions as ‘AI’.
Artificial intelligence has entered all our lives, and Australia’s policy wonks are no exception."
Explore the points of agreement, tension, and difference here 👉 www.devintelligencelab.com/intel/24february2026
This fortnight’s Intel featured insights from Geordie Fung, Pia Andrews, and Michael Barlow, responding to the question:
🔴 Australia is drafting an international strategy on AI: so what for development?
Multiple perspectives. Different angles.
Don’t miss an edition, sign up to our list to get the Intel straight to your inbox 👉 www.devintelligencelab.com#launch-section
Explore their three competing views, here 👉 www.devintelligencelab.com/intel/24february2026
This fortnight on the Intel we ask:
🔴 Australia is drafting an international strategy on AI: so what for development?
Our expert contributors pitch in:
⚫ The Lab’s Geordie Fung
⚫ Pia Andrews
⚫ UNSW’s Michael Barlow
🔴 Listen to the full episode, ’The future of Australian aid’, here 👉 www.lowyinstitute.org/publications...
Together, they discussed how geostrategic competition is shaping development, the findings of the OECD DAC review of Australia’s aid program, and the risk posed by the security vs. development binary.
Our CEO, Bridi Rice, is featured in the latest podcast episode of Development Future by the Lowy Institute, alongside Cameron Hill from the Development Policy Centre at the Australian National University and hosts Roland Rajah and Grace Stanhope.
The tension right now is, if we distort our development program to chase that short-term influence, we may win a headline, and at the same time lose a generation that we might need to collaborate with in a decade’s time.”
”Australia’s comparative advantage is not speed, it is trust. It’s our geography. It’s access to our education and health partnerships, and our economy, and it’s our long-term presence...
Applications are still open for our Operations Officer role. This role will report to the General Manager and work closely with all members of the Lab team.
Read the full position description and how to apply here 👉 www.devintelligencelab.com/hiring/opera...
