The Know-how and Innovation Report 2025, launched on Thursday by the UN Convention on Commerce and Growth (UNCTAD), sounds the alarm on rising inequality within the AI panorama and lays out a roadmap for international locations to harness AI’s potential.
The report exhibits that simply 100 corporations, largely in the US and China, are behind 40 per cent of the world’s personal funding in analysis and improvement, highlighting a pointy focus of energy.
On the identical time, 118 international locations – largely from the World South – are lacking from international AI governance discussions altogether.
UNCTAD Secretary-Basic Rebeca Grynspan underlined the significance of stronger worldwide cooperation to shift the main focus “from know-how to folks,” and allow international locations “to co-create a worldwide synthetic intelligence framework”.
A jobs revolution
The report estimates that as much as 40 % of world jobs might be affected by AI.
Whereas the know-how brings new alternatives, particularly by means of productiveness features and new industries, it additionally raises critical issues about automation and job displacement – particularly in economies the place low-cost labour has been a aggressive benefit.
But it surely’s not all dangerous information. UNCTAD’s consultants argue that AI isn’t just about changing jobs – it may possibly additionally create new industries and empower staff.
If governments put money into reskilling, upskilling and workforce adaptation, they’ll guarantee AI enhances employment alternatives reasonably than eradicate them.
College students attend a pc class at a secondary college in Kailali, Nepal.
Learn how to put together?
To keep away from being left behind, growing international locations must strengthen what UNCTAD calls the “three key leverage factors”: infrastructure, information and expertise.
Which means investing in quick, dependable web connections and the computing energy wanted to retailer and course of huge quantities of data.
It additionally means guaranteeing entry to various, high-quality datasets to coach AI techniques in methods which might be efficient and truthful.
And crucially, it requires constructing schooling techniques that equip folks with the digital and problem-solving expertise wanted to thrive in an AI-driven world.
Not simply nationwide: A world effort
Past nationwide insurance policies, UNCTAD requires stronger worldwide collaboration to information the event of synthetic intelligence.
The report proposes establishing a shared international facility to present all international locations equitable entry to computing energy and AI instruments.
It additionally recommends making a public disclosure framework for AI, much like present environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements, to spice up transparency and accountability.
“Historical past has proven that whereas technological progress drives financial development, it doesn’t by itself guarantee equitable revenue distribution or promote inclusive human improvement,” famous Ms. Grynspan, calling for folks to be on the centre of the AI revolution.
