AI's Global Divide: Unequal Access, Unequal Power

Africa and Latin America account for just 3.3 percent of global data centre capacity, Tomas Lamanauskas, deputy secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union, told Al Jazeera. The imbalance matters as governments and institutions promote AI across health, education, public services and industry, while 2.2 billion people worldwide still lack internet access. The machinery of the next economic shift isn't equally available.

The Infrastructure Divide

Lamanauskas spoke on the sidelines of the UN Conference on Trade and Development World Investment Forum in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday. He warned that the AI divide reaches beyond connectivity: unequal access could become an “opportunity divide” and deepen socioeconomic inequality. “So you clearly see still a rather big infrastructure divide,” he said.

A December 2025 report by the UN Development Programme warned that AI could usher in a new era of inequality between nations and reverse decades of progress in narrowing economic disparities. Countries with unreliable power, limited connectivity and too few technological skills risk missing out on AI’s economic gains, the UNDP said. Lamanauskas said bridging the digital infrastructure gap would require an estimated $2.8 trillion in investment by 2030.

These figures describe who can participate in the systems taking shape, and who risks being left outside them. About 29 percent of working-age people in developed countries use generative AI, compared with 16 percent in developing nations. “This actually affects your ability to be productive and to be part of job-market opportunities,” Lamanauskas said.

Jobs, Skills and Who Gets Left Out

The gains and disruptions won't reach everyone equally. Lamanauskas cited estimates that AI could displace 90 million jobs while creating 170 million. Even with what he called a “net positive impact,” many people would face disruption, and an estimated 40 percent of workplace skills could change by 2030.

Fazl Barez, a senior researcher at the University of Oxford specialising in AI safety and governance, said the distinction between automating tasks and replacing entire jobs matters. “The fears are real,” he told Al Jazeera. Routine cognitive work faces particular exposure, he said, though the scale remains uncertain. Barez also warned: “AI-driven automation threatens to erode government tax bases, lower living standards, and disempower citizens.”

Language access offers another measure of the divide. Only seven percent of African languages appear in AI translation tools, Lamanauskas said, limiting access for millions of potential users. Technology that reaches people unevenly can distribute its opportunities unevenly, too.

Strategies Without Equal Access

The 2026 International AI Safety Report, released in February, said about one billion people use AI for tasks including seeking medical health guidance and writing. It estimated that AI-related impacts could reach about 60 percent of jobs in advanced economies and 40 percent in emerging economies, while acknowledging that no concrete data exists.

Lamanauskas said he didn't believe it was possible simply to stop AI or halt its rapid advancement. “AI is here to stay, and AI is here to transform our lives,” he said. He noted that 104 countries now have AI strategies, compared with just four a decade ago, while adding that AI “isn't a technology that can be controlled by one person or organisation or one company.”

His proposed response is greater investment in digital infrastructure, education and regulation so developing countries can help shape the technology. “The 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,” he said. The warning is stark; the remedy still depends on investment and institutions turning access into a shared reality.