{"id":11328,"date":"2026-10-25T17:54:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T17:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=11328"},"modified":"2026-10-25T17:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T17:54:15","slug":"ais-opportunity-divide-could-deepen-global-inequality-un-official-warns-technology-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=11328","title":{"rendered":"AI\u2019s \u2018opportunity divide\u2019 could deepen global inequality, UN official warns | Technology News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Doha, Qatar \u2013<\/strong> Artificial intelligence (AI) risks widening the gap between rich and poor countries, potentially deepening existing social and economic inequalities, a senior United Nations official has warned.<\/p>\n

Developing countries face significant barriers to benefitting from the AI revolution, Tomas Lamanauskas, the deputy secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency focused on information and communication technologies, told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere is a risk \u2026 I think the AI divide is really the big concern because it\u2019s really not just about the digital divide,\u201d Lamanauskas said on the sidelines of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Forum in Doha, Qatar on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI has the huge potential of powering health, education, public services, industries, agriculture, trade. So a great divide could really mean an opportunity divide, and really could deepen the socioeconomic divide,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that\u2019s really the worrying part.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lamanauskas said the disparities are already evident in digital infrastructure, citing the examples of Africa and Latin America, which together account for just 3.3 percent of global data centre capacity.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you clearly see still a rather big infrastructure divide,\u201d he said, adding that 2.2 billion people worldwide remain without internet access.<\/p>\n

In a December 2025 report<\/a>, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) cautioned that AI could trigger a new era of inequality between nations, reversing decades of progress in narrowing economic disparities between nations.<\/p>\n

The UNDP warned that countries with unreliable power, limited connectivity, and a lack of technological skills risk missing out on the economic gains of AI.<\/p>\n

Bridging the digital infrastructure gap would require an estimated $2.8 trillion in investment by 2030, UN official Lamanauskas said.<\/p>\n

The divide between nations is also evident in the adoption of AI, he added. While approximately 29 percent of working-age people in developed countries use generative AI, that figure drops to 16 percent in developing nations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis actually affects your ability to be productive and to be part of job-market opportunities,\u201d Lamanauskas said.<\/p>\n

Loss of jobs<\/h2>\n

Lamanauskas acknowledged growing concerns about AI-driven job losses, citing estimates that the technology could displace 90 million jobs, but also create 170 million new ones.<\/p>\n

However, he warned that even if there is a \u201cnet positive impact\u201d, many people will personally experience disruption, as an estimated 40 percent of workplace skills could change by 2030.<\/p>\n

He also pointed to language inequalities, revealing that only seven percent of African languages are represented in AI translation tools, limiting access for millions of potential users.<\/p>\n

According to the 2026 International AI Safety Report<\/a> released in February, about one billion people use AI for a variety of tasks, including seeking guidance on medical health and writing.<\/p>\n

While no concrete data exists, the report estimated that about 60 percent of jobs in advanced economies and 40 percent in emerging economies could be exposed to AI-related impacts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fears are real,\u201d said Fazl Barez, a senior researcher at the University of Oxford specialising in AI safety and governance.<\/p>\n

However, he cautioned that it was important to distinguish between AI \u201cautomating tasks and replacing entire jobs\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are the types of jobs that could be lost? Those involving routine cognitive work are particularly exposed, but the scale remains uncertain,\u201d Barez told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI-driven automation threatens to erode government tax bases, lower living standards, and disempower citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n

AI needs to benefit \u2018everyone\u2019<\/h2>\n

Despite concerns around the AI revolution, Lamanauskas said he did not believe there was a \u201cpossibility just to stop AI\u201d or halt its rapid advancement.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI is here to stay, and AI is here to transform our lives,\u201d he said, noting that 104 countries now have AI strategies, compared with just four a decade ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cAI is not a technology that can be controlled by one person or organisation or one company,\u201d the UN official added.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, he called for greater investment in digital infrastructure, education and regulation to ensure developing countries can participate in helping shape the technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way forward is really to invest to make sure that the AI benefits everyone, to recognise and acknowledge the fears and anxieties that people feel,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Doha, Qatar \u2013 Artificial intelligence (AI) risks widening the gap between rich and poor countries, potentially deepening existing social and economic inequalities, a senior United Nations official has warned. Developing countries face significant barriers to benefitting from the AI revolution, Tomas Lamanauskas, the deputy secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency focused…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11329,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t