AI and the Digital Divide: Sharing Prosperity or Deepening Inequality?
The UN asks how AI can serve all nations not just the wealthy
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The UN examines AI and tries to help governments plan for shared prosperity rather than a widening digital gap that leaves developing economies even further behind.
It won’t be easy. AI is gunning for developing nations, and that’s not hyperbole. First, it is poised to reduce the need for labor in nations where low-cost labor is one of their key competitive advantages. Second, they are being left out of a revolution they know is critical to their advancement.
That’s why one of the most significant issues with our shared AI revolution is who gets to use it.
GenAI is a product of Silicon Valley, so it should come as no surprise that the original model for AI was based on “Pay to Play.” While no one denies these companies the right to recoup their massive investment, their control over access to technology that benefits all humankind should be a concern.
For this reason, DeepSeek’s open-source AI remains a singular moment in AI history. It is free to use and has low computing requirements, increasing accessibility.
While we read about the AI race between China and the US daily, AI impacts everyone, not just wealthy nations who can afford to use it. This is why international AI governance initiatives driven by G7 nations that exclude 118 global south countries should be a cause for concern.
The digital divide between advanced and developing nations is still wide, and AI might make it wider without intervention.
👉Five Core Themes For Inclusive AI
1️⃣ AI at the technological frontier
➢Serving both private and public interests – Leading technology companies are gaining control over the future of technology, and their commercial motives do not always align with the public interest.
➢Augmenting human capabilities – Frontier technologies are capital-intensive and could be labour-saving. For many developing countries, this could erode their comparative advantage of low labour costs, putting at risk the gains of recent decades.
2️⃣ Leveraging AI for productivity and workers’ empowerment
➢Strategic positioning – Governments should strategically position themselves to seize the opportunities offered by AI.
➢Government and stakeholder collaboration– Successful structural transformation requires cooperation among public authorities and ministries.
3️⃣ Preparing to seize AI opportunities
➢Strategic positioning – Governments should strategically position themselves to seize the opportunities offered by AI.
➢Strengthening innovation systems – Countries can evaluate their AI opportunities and challenges through technology assessment
4️⃣ Designing national policies for AI
➢Rethinking industrial policies – Accelerated digitalization and the rise of AI call for new industrial policies. As value in the global economy shifts towards knowledge-intensive services.
➢Infrastructure — Upgrading infrastructure is key to ensuring equitable access to enablers such as electricity and the Internet, favouring AI adoption and reducing inequalities.
➢Data — Encouraging open data and data-sharing can enhance data integration, storage, access and collaboration.
➢Skills — Population-wide AI literacy will promote widespread AI adoption.
5️⃣ Global collaboration for inclusive and equitable AI
➢Open innovation – The use of open innovation models, such as open data and open source, can democratize knowledge and resources, to foster inclusive AI innovation.
➢Shared digital public infrastructure – A global shared facility, for example, following the CERN model, can provide equitable access to AI infrastructure.
➢South–South collaboration – Strengthening South–South cooperation in science and technology can enhance the capacity of developing countries to address common AI challenges.
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