The report of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) warns of the possibility of “major divergences” between countries in terms of economic results, competencies of the people and government systems.
“We believe that AI is heralding a new era of rising inequality between countries, following years of convergence over the past 50 years,” said Philip Schellekens, chief economist at UNDP’s Asia-Pacific Regional Office, at a press conference in Geneva.
The UNDP report “The next great divergence: why AI can increase inequality between countries” states that trade, technology and development have contributed to reducing differences between States in recent decades, bringing important improvements in income, health and education.
According to the report, these gains are now at risk of being eroded.
Ultimately, even the richest countries would suffer if poorer countries were left behind by AI, Schellekens says.
“If inequality continues to increase, its indirect effects on the security agenda and on undocumented forms of migration will also be more discouraging,” he said.
