UN report: 'Why AI can widen inequalities'

Lately when people talk about artificial intelligence, they refer to concerns about a bubble that could burst on Wall Street, dragging with it all the companies and the system that had lavishly invested in it. Many are the implications of this great technological revolution, not least the inequalities it may create, now argues a UN report focused on Asia-Pacific but which "can be read from a global perspective": it is entitled The Next Great Divergence - Why AI may widen inequality between countries and questions the possibilities and criticalities of Artificial Intelligence in a vast, populous, diverse and, needless to say, unequal continent with a marked gender divide.

The analysis looks at the realities of the smaller Pacific island states and remote mountain communities, as well as some of the world's most sophisticated megacities, from Delhi to Shanghai, Tokyo to Seoul. The report focuses primarily on the many differences between countries. And, at the same time, it takes into account the stark inequalities in digital resources and capabilities within countries - between urban and rural areas, rich and poor, dominant and more vulnerable groups, each at very different stages of their digital journey.

We are now, as the technological transformation has begun, faced with a great dilemma: artificial intelligence could bridge the gaps in the region, expanding opportunities and strengthening communities. Or it could consolidate divisions, ushering in an era of uneven progress in which a few advance while many lag behind. The stakes are generational, as the choices made today will determine whether artificial intelligence becomes a bridge or a barrier for decades to come.

Artificial intelligence will reshape three interconnected domains: people, economy and governance. Concerning people, reference is made to education, wealth, development, security, inclusion: the challenges posed by AI are unequal access, biases, weak guarantees that risk exacerbating exclusion. Children face privacy risks and overexposure to AI agents that distort learning, women in South Asia are 40 per cent less likely to own smartphones, with limits on access to jobs and services, and rural and indigenous communities remain invisible to data or are misclassified by biased algorithms. Hence the divide between rich and poor countries. Richer countries use AI extensively in education, health and climate systems, while poorer and island states lack connection, expertise and control over data. Many rely on imported models and donor projects, exacerbating dependency. Without investment in people, infrastructure and digital sovereignty, the UN report warns, AI risks widening the global gap in capabilities, human security and sustainability.

Regarding theeconomy, once implemented on a large scale, artificial intelligence - the UN report calculates - could increase annual GDP growth by 2 per cent or more through automation and innovation, boost productivity by up to 5 per cent in sectors such as finance and healthcare, generate new digital jobs, empower women and make gender equality a de facto driver of innovation and growth, helping economies such as India, Indonesia and Vietnam to achieve inclusion and high income goals. On the other side of the coin, risks are enumerated: productivity gains that remain uncertain, erratic and slow; 25% of companies expect job losses, digital skills shortages are becoming a serious problem. Not only that: artificial intelligence frontier economies such as Singapore, Japan, South Korea and China are investing in physical infrastructure of artificial intelligence and intangible capital, trying to reap the first benefits, while low-income states risk exclusion. Women tend to hold jobs twice as exposed to automation, and youth employment in high-exposure roles is already declining, widening disparities between countries, sectors, genders and generations.