A senior UN official warns that artificial intelligence could increase the economic gap between wealthy and developing nations.
A top United Nations official recently issued a serious warning about artificial intelligence. He believes this new technology could make global inequality much worse. Rich nations may pull further ahead of poor countries.
Tomas Lamanauskas serves as the deputy secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union. This group is a UN agency. It focuses on communication and information technologies across the globe.
Meanwhile, the official spoke with Al Jazeera in Doha, Qatar. He highlighted the major risks that come with rapid AI growth. He calls this problem the opportunity divide.
Developing nations struggle to keep up with the fast pace of technical changes. They face many big barriers to entry. These obstacles prevent them from gaining benefits from the AI revolution.
Also, the lack of infrastructure hurts these smaller, developing countries. Many do not have the tools needed to train or use AI systems effectively. This keeps them behind the rest of the world.
As a result, current economic gaps might widen even further. People in poorer nations may lose out on new jobs and economic growth. The digital divide is becoming a major global threat.
However, the official stressed the need for better global cooperation. He urged leaders to bridge this gap now. Without action, the divide will likely grow over time.
Finally, the UN agency continues to monitor these trends closely. They seek ways to help all nations in the progress. Fairness remains a top goal for the organization during this transition.