UN official warns this AI divide could widen global inequality
DOHA — Unequal access to artificial intelligence could leave developing countries unable to capture its economic benefits, widening the gap with wealthier nations, a senior United Nations official has warned. Tomas Lamanauskas, deputy secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), said the danger extends beyond internet connectivity to who can participate in the opportunities AI creates.
Speaking to Al Jazeera at the UN Trade and Development World Investment Forum in Doha on 25 October, Lamanauskas warned that developing economies face significant barriers to benefiting from the technology.
Investment remains concentrated
The warning follows UN Trade and Development’s 2025 assessment that AI’s benefits will not automatically be shared evenly. Its Technology and Innovation Report found that just 100 companies, predominantly based in the United States and China, accounted for roughly 40% of global corporate research and development spending. That figure covers corporate research broadly, rather than AI investment alone.
The report also identified 118 countries, mostly in the Global South, absent from the major AI governance discussions it examined. This leaves many developing economies facing a dual challenge: building the capacity to use AI while securing a voice in decisions about its development and regulation.
Africa’s challenge starts with access
For African economies, basic connectivity remains part of that challenge. The ITU’s State of Broadband in Africa 2025 report cited internet use of 38% in sub-Saharan Africa in 2024, compared with 68% globally. Those figures measure internet access, not AI adoption, but illustrate the unequal foundations on which businesses and workers must compete.
UN Trade and Development has called for coordinated investment in infrastructure, skills and innovation, alongside broader participation in AI governance. For governments pursuing AI-led growth, the practical task is to turn those priorities into capacity that local businesses and workers can actually use.
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