Pakistan, Sept. 15 -- The world is investing billions to make machines more intelligent, yet societies remain dangerously unprepared for the crises they can already see coming. Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing at an unprecedented pace. Yet much of its potential remains underutilised, as the dominant approach to AI development continues to focus on building larger models, faster processors and greater computational power. For the US and China, this competition represents a contest for technological leadership. For much of the Global South, however, the more urgent question is different: can AI help states anticipate floods before they become disasters, identify food shortages before they become crises and manage resource pressures...