FLASH NEWS
UN report: Artificial Intelligence could accelerate global inequality
2025-12-02 16:39:04 / TRENDING
A new report by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) warned on Tuesday that artificial intelligence (AI) could accelerate global inequality if countries do not strengthen digital readiness and governance systems to manage the transition.
The report, “The Next Great Divergence: Why AI Could Widen Inequality Between Countries,” notes that while AI offers significant opportunities for growth, countries “begin this transition from very unequal positions,” raising the risk that existing divides in economic performance, human skills, and governance could deepen.
Asia and the Pacific, home to over 55 percent of the world’s population, are at the center of this shift, according to the report. The region now accounts for more than half of global AI users and is rapidly expanding its innovation footprint, from China’s rise to nearly 70 percent of global AI patents to more than 3,100 newly funded AI companies across six economies.
The report notes that AI could boost annual GDP growth by about 2 percentage points in the region, and ASEAN economies could gain nearly $1 trillion in additional GDP over the next decade.
But the potential comes with increasing risks. Millions of jobs, especially those held by women and young people, face high exposure to automation unless ethical and inclusive governance is prioritized.
Among other things, it is said that in South Asia, women are up to 40 percent less likely than men to own a smartphone, highlighting persistent gaps in digital access.
“AI is accelerating, and many countries are still at the starting line,” said Kanni Wignaraja, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. “The experience of Asia and the Pacific highlights how quickly gaps can emerge between those shaping AI and those being shaped by it,” she said.
The publication also highlights the rapid expansion of AI in public administration, including platforms in Bangkok, Singapore and Beijing that are transforming service delivery and urban planning. However, comprehensive AI regulations remain limited and by 2027 more than 40 percent of global AI-related data breaches could stem from the misuse of generative AI.
“The central fault line in the AI era is skill,” said Philip Schellekens, UNDP’s chief economist for Asia and the Pacific. “Countries that invest in skills, computing power and sound governance systems will benefit; others risk being left far behind,” he added.
-
-
German media giant RTL cuts 600 jobs
December 2, 16:23 -
Happening now...
Karmën nuk e ndalon dot Sali Berisha!
Nga Bato Kosova
ideas
"Topple" Edi Rama by lying to yourself...
Nga Patrik Sadikaj
Only accepting Berisha's truths will save the DP from final extinction!
Nga Neritan Vladi
top
TRENDING 
services
- POLICE129
- STREET POLICE126
- AMBULANCE112
- FIREFIGHTER128