The AI Divide Impact on Global Future Work and Inequalities
TapTechNews August 12th news, on the 7th, the International Labour Organization and the Office of the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Technology released a report titled 'Focusing on the AI Divide: Shaping the Future of Work from a Global Perspective'. The report points out that the AI revolution may widen the development gap between high-income and low-income countries unless international cooperative actions are taken.
The report says that AI is triggering an industrial revolution globally, providing huge opportunities for innovation and productivity. But due to the unevenness in investment, adoption, and usage rates, AI is also exacerbating economic and social inequalities. This emerging 'AI divide' means that high-income countries can benefit more from AI, while middle- and low-income countries will fall behind.
AI can enhance work efficiency and improve working conditions. However, unequal access to infrastructure, technology, and quality education and training may lead to an uneven adoption of AI, further intensifying global inequalities. The report points out that high-income countries have the ability to utilize AI to increase productivity, while developing countries may face (development) bottlenecks due to the lack of digital infrastructure.
Globally, more than 300 billion US dollars (TapTechNews note: currently about 2.15 trillion yuan) is spent annually on technologies to enhance computing power, but these investments are mainly concentrated in high-income countries. The gap in infrastructure and skills development will cause developing countries and their local start-ups to be at a'severe disadvantage'.
The report also points out that women are most vulnerable to the impact of AI automation, especially in clerical and business process outsourcing positions such as 'call centers' that are common in developing countries. However, research shows that although automation may lead to job losses, it also provides the potential for job enhancement and improvement in work quality and productivity.
At the same time, if there is no national-level technology industry, even if skilled workers in developing countries have AI skills, they can only provide services to companies in other countries through freelance platforms, thus causing another form of 'brain drain'.