The global implications of artificial intelligence development have become impossible to ignore as the divergence between technologically advanced nations and developing economies widens at an accelerating pace.
A major United Nations Development Programme report released Monday underscored this growing chasm, warning that without decisive government intervention, AI could deepen inequality patterns that first emerged centuries ago during the industrial revolution.
The Asia-Pacific region, home to more than 55 percent of the world's population, faces particular urgency as nations with robust digital infrastructure race ahead while less developed economies struggle with foundational gaps.
The UNDP findings suggest that the next decade will determine whether AI becomes a tool for shared global progress or a mechanism that entrenches existing economic disparities across regions and demographics.
How AI Could Reshape Economic Power Between Nations
The economic stakes are remarkably high, with ASEAN nations alone projected to gain nearly one trillion dollars in additional output over the coming decade through AI adoption and implementation.
Meanwhile, countries positioned to lead AI development, including China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, stand poised to capture disproportionate benefits from technological advancement.
This concentration of gains mirrors historical patterns where innovation advantages translated directly into sustained economic dominance for leading nations.
The report identifies a clear capability hierarchy emerging across the region, with developed nations deploying sophisticated AI systems while developing economies struggle to access basic infrastructure.
The differential in computing power, algorithmic expertise, and governance frameworks creates a structural advantage that compounds over time, potentially locking countries into subordinate positions within global value chains for decades to come.
Did you know?
The Asia-Pacific ASEAN bloc alone is projected to gain nearly one trillion dollars in additional output over the next decade through AI adoption, yet approximately one quarter of the region currently lacks reliable internet access, creating a foundational barrier to participating in this economic opportunity.
The Infrastructure and Skills Barriers Holding Nations Back
Approximately one quarter of the Asia-Pacific region currently lacks reliable internet access, creating an immediate barrier to digital participation and AI adoption.
Without addressing this foundational gap, millions of people cannot access digital payment systems, establish digital identities, or acquire the education necessary to participate in emerging AI-driven economic sectors.
This digital exclusion translates directly into economic disadvantage in an increasingly digitized global marketplace.
Beyond connectivity, the shortage of skilled professionals capable of developing, deploying, and managing AI systems creates another critical bottleneck.
Wealthy nations attract the brightest technical talent through higher wages, better working conditions, and access to cutting-edge resources.
Developing countries find themselves unable to retain or recruit talent at competitive levels, creating a brain drain that further widens capability gaps and reinforces economic disparities between regions.
Who Faces the Greatest Vulnerability to AI Disruption
Women and young people confront particular vulnerabilities as AI-driven automation accelerates, with jobs held by women nearly twice as exposed to displacement compared to employment held by men.
In South Asia specifically, women remain up to 40 percent less likely than men to own smartphones, creating a foundational barrier to digital skill development and economic participation.
This gender disparity compounds existing inequalities while creating new forms of exclusion within emerging digital economies.
Youth in developing nations face an uncertain employment landscape as traditional job pathways disappear through automation, while AI-related opportunities remain concentrated in wealthy countries with established tech industries.
Without immediate investment in education and training programs tailored to emerging opportunities, millions of young people will enter adulthood lacking skills demanded by AI-transformed labor markets. This generational impact threatens to entrench poverty cycles across entire regions.
ALSO READ | Ukraine launches AI independence project with Google infrastructure
What Governments Must Do to Prevent Divergence
The UNDP report emphasizes that urgent government action represents the only viable path to preventing a catastrophic widening of global inequality through AI.
Substantial investment in digital infrastructure must extend connectivity to underserved populations while ensuring reliable, affordable access to computing resources.
Educational systems require fundamental restructuring to emphasize digital literacy, AI fundamentals, and adaptability rather than rote learning of skills likely to become obsolete within years.
Equally critical are robust governance frameworks that ensure fair competition between corporations, protect worker interests during transitions, and distribute AI's productivity gains across society rather than concentrating them among technology owners and shareholders.
Social protection systems must evolve to provide income security and retraining opportunities for workers displaced by automation, preventing the emergence of permanently excluded populations left behind in AI-driven economies.
The Stakes for Global Stability and Development Progress
The concept of the "Next Great Divergence" referenced in the UN report deliberately echoes the economic chasm that emerged during the Industrial Revolution, when early-adopting nations accumulated wealth and power while others remained trapped in agricultural economies for generations.
The warning carries profound implications for global development, social stability, and the possibility of achieving meaningful progress on poverty reduction and shared prosperity in the coming decades.
Without intervention, AI could reverse decades of progress on global development indicators, concentrating gains among wealthy nations while millions in developing economies fall further behind.
This outcome would trigger unprecedented migration pressures, geopolitical tensions, and social instability as billions confront systematically foreclosed opportunities and declining living standards.
The window for preventive action remains open but rapidly closing as technology deployment accelerates beyond the pace of policy adaptation.
Governments worldwide face a critical choice in the coming years about whether AI becomes a technology that exacerbates global inequalities or one that advances shared human progress.
The decisions made today regarding investment priorities, regulatory frameworks, and international cooperation will reverberate through the rest of the twenty-first century, determining whether artificial intelligence serves humanity as a whole or concentrates power and prosperity among already-advantaged nations and populations.
Comments (0)
Please sign in to leave a comment