UN Report Warns: AI Could Widen Global Economic Divide Without Inclusive Policies

Approximately 25% of the Asia-Pacific region still lacks internet connectivity, according to the report.

Bangkok:

Beneath the excitement surrounding artificial intelligence's potential lies concerning realities about how this technology might impact already disadvantaged populations in our increasingly data-driven society.

A newly published United Nations Development Program report highlights that wealthy nations are positioned to capture most AI benefits unless deliberate measures are taken to leverage this technology to address fundamental inequities in basic necessities and technological access.

Released Tuesday, the report draws parallels to the "Great Divergence" of the industrial revolution era, when Western nations experienced rapid modernization while others lagged significantly behind.

Concerns about AI's role in potentially replacing human jobs with computerized systems and robots are nearly universal. However, the report authors emphasize that while much discussion centers on productivity, competitiveness, and economic growth, the more crucial question involves AI's impact on human lives.

"We tend to overemphasise the role of technology," stated Michael Muthukrishna from the London School of Economics, the report's principal author, during a press briefing. "We need to ensure it's not technology first, but it's people first," he added while speaking via video at the Bangkok report launch.

Exclusion risks are particularly significant for communities struggling with basic access to skills, electricity, and internet connectivity, as well as for elderly populations and those displaced by conflicts and climate disasters. Simultaneously, these vulnerable groups may remain "invisible" in datasets that fail to include them.

"As a general-purpose technology, AI can lift productivity, spark new industries, and help latecomers catch up," the report states.

Rural communities and disaster-prone regions could benefit from improved agricultural guidance, instantaneous X-ray analysis, faster medical diagnoses, more accurate weather forecasts, and better damage assessments.

"AI systems that analyse poverty, health, and disaster risks enable faster, fairer, and more transparent decisions, turning data into continuous learning and public value," according to the report.

Nevertheless, even developed nations like the United States face concerns about data centers consuming disproportionate electricity and water resources. Increasing power generation could hinder progress on reducing carbon emissions from fossil fuels, contributing to global warming while creating additional health hazards.

The technology also raises ethical, privacy, and cybersecurity issues: researchers have discovered hackers utilizing AI to automate cyberattack components. Additionally, deepfakes present risks of misinformation and criminal facilitation.

Asian countries including China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore are well-positioned to leverage AI tools, while nations like Afghanistan, the Maldives, and Myanmar lack the necessary skills, reliable power, and resources to access AI computing capabilities. Regional inequalities mean certain areas, even within advanced economies, risk being left behind.

Approximately 25% of the Asia-Pacific region lacks online access, the report indicates.

Philip Schellekens, UNDP's chief economist for Asia Pacific, warned that failure to close these gaps could exclude millions from accessing devices, digital payment systems, digital identification, education, and skills necessary for full participation in the global economy, causing them to fall further behind.

Additional risks include misinformation, privacy-violating surveillance, and "black box" systems that reinforce biases against minorities and other groups. Transparency and effective regulations represent crucial safeguards for ensuring fair and accountable AI implementation.

"We believe we need more balance, less hysteria and hype," Schellekens stated.

AI is becoming as essential to modern life as electricity, transportation infrastructure, and the internet, requiring governments to increase investments in digital infrastructure, education, training, fair competition, and social protections, according to the report.

"The goal," it concludes, "is to democratize access to AI so that every country and community can benefit while protecting those most at risk from disruption."