Algiers – A new United Nations report warns that artificial intelligence (AI) could significantly exacerbate the economic disparities between developed and developing nations. The report, released Tuesday, calls for proactive policy interventions to mitigate the potential negative impacts of AI on global inequality.
The report, published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), raises concerns about the emergence of a “significant divergence” between countries in terms of economic performance, workforce skills, and governance systems. It suggests that the advancements made in reducing global inequalities over the past few decades, driven by trade, technology, and development, could be undermined by the rapid advancement and uneven distribution of AI technologies.
Entitled “The Next Great Divide: How Artificial Intelligence Could Widen Inequalities Between Countries,” the UNDP report highlights the potential for AI to erode the gains achieved in income, health, and education across the globe.
“We believe that AI heralds a new era of increased inequality between countries, after years of convergence in the past 50 years,” stated Philip Schellekens, chief economist at the UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, during a press conference in Geneva.
He emphasized that even the wealthiest nations would ultimately suffer if poorer countries were left behind in the AI revolution. “If inequality persists, its spillover effects on the security agenda and on forms of undocumented migration will become more difficult [to manage],” Schellekens added.
The report urges international cooperation and strategic policy-making to ensure that the benefits of AI are shared more equitably, preventing a further widening of the gap between the world’s most and least developed nations. The UNDP stresses the importance of investing in education, infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks that can enable developing countries to effectively harness the potential of AI for sustainable development.
