AI’s ‘opportunity divide’ could deepen global inequality, UN official warns
Summary
A senior UN official warned that unequal access to AI could widen economic and social gaps between rich and poor countries. He cited differences in infrastructure, AI use, and language support, while researchers said AI may both displace jobs and change workplace skills.Key Facts
- Africa and Latin America together account for 3.3 percent of global data centre capacity, according to Tomas Lamanauskas.
- About 2.2 billion people worldwide remain without internet access.
- Lamanauskas said closing the digital infrastructure gap would require an estimated $2.8 trillion in investment by 2030.
- About 29 percent of working-age people in developed countries use generative AI, compared with 16 percent in developing countries.
- Only 7 percent of African languages are represented in AI translation tools, Lamanauskas said.
- Estimates cited by Lamanauskas suggest AI could displace 90 million jobs and create 170 million new ones.
- An estimated 40 percent of workplace skills could change by 2030, Lamanauskas said.
- A 2026 International AI Safety Report estimated that AI could affect about 60 percent of jobs in advanced economies and 40 percent in emerging economies.
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