LocationsExperts call for people-first AI strategies
December 7, 2025
Panel discussion on AI and The Next Great Divergence Report
Artificial intelligence (AI) unmanaged could widen inequality between countries by expanding divides in economic performance, people’s capabilities, and governance systems, warned a new report launched on 2 December by the UNUN Development Programme (UNDP).
The report, The Next Great Divergence: Why AI May Widen Inequality Between Countries, underscores that while AI offers unprecedented development potential, countries begin the transition from vastly unequal starting points. Without deliberate governance and investment in foundational infrastructure, these gaps could grow, reversing decades of global progress.
Speaking at the report launch in Bangkok, UN Assistant Secretary General and UNDP’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Kanni Wignaraja highlighted:
“The AI story is a very different one, and we can’t rely on the same triggers or the same pace of catch-up. Where a country starts in this race matters more than ever, and without action, we will see inequalities widen fast.” She also emphasized the importance of looking at AI through an inclusion lens:
“For UNDP, the central question is how AI affects the most vulnerable person, and in most of our countries, that person is a young woman. If you protect her, you protect the entire population.”
Remarks by Kanni Wignara. UN ASG and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, at the launch of The Next Great Divergence report
Chief Economist Philip Schellekens Presented the report, highlighting that:
“a global conversation on AI and development really needs a reframe. We should start with a little bit of humility because for 2,500 years we’ve been getting tech wrong. None of us really has a crystal ball and we cannot predict how AI is going to evolve and what its effect on development might be with certainty. Our goal here is really to map out plausible pathways that are somewhere between the hysteria and the hype. Some denote AI as an existential risk; others think AI will solve humanity’s problems. We need more balance and more evidence, and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish.”
During the expert panel discussion, experts from across the region emphasized the urgent need for people-centered AI systems, stronger governance, and investment in human capital.
Michael Muthukrishna, Professor at London School of Economics, warned against techno-solutionism.
“If we could just give every child in the world access to the internet and a laptop… they wouldn't do much unless the teachers were also trained, unless it was built into the curriculum, unless what they were learning was localized,” he said.
“AI works the same way. Build out the basic infrastructure and then think about these soft elements to make sure it's not technology first, but people first and technology alongside.”
Dr. Urvashi Aneja, Founder of the Digital Futures Lab in India praised the report’s clarity on how AI is reshaping inequality.
“The report really exemplifies much-needed thought leadership… it cuts through a lot of the hype around AI and really centers the issue of inequality,” she said.
She highlighted not only inequality in access to AI, but also inequality in resilience, protection, and the timing of countries’ ability to leverage AI technologies.
Aneja stressed the need for better labor-market intelligence, new job creation strategies, reimagined skilling systems, and expanded social protection. “Many of the entry-level jobs, how people learn about a profession are going away,” she said, noting that governments must rethink training and apprenticeships in an AI-driven world.
The Next Great Divergence report launch event.
Katie Silver, International Technology Reporter noted that many crucial issues raised in the report remain largely absent from mainstream debate.
“The conversation always is how AI is going to drive productivity. I think that level of nuance isn't necessarily coming into media conversation… it needs to become a greater part of the conversation,” she said.
She raised concerns about Western-trained AI models being exported globally despite cultural mismatches, warning that once such models are embedded in national systems, “they become structurally embedded and impossible to extrapolate and take out.”
Thailand’s experience offers a practical model for emerging economies.
Katie Silver, Technology Reporter
Saksil Segkhonthod, Senior Expert, from Thailand’s Electronic Development Agency, described how AI governance transformed from a little-noticed “clinic” to a national “AI governance center” almost overnight after the release of ChatGPT.
“AI won't replace you, but people who use AI will replace you,” he said, underscoring the urgency for governments to prepare for short-, medium-, and long-term labor-market shifts.
Saksil outlined Thailand’s four-level governance model, national, sectoral, organizational, and individual literacy, with regulators leading domain-specific guidance, and national bodies ensuring coherence and risk-based, pro-innovation approaches.
“We want every organization in Thailand to be a responsible one,” he said. “AI governance is not only doing things legally… it means balancing the benefits of AI with reducing the risks as well.”
Saksil Segkhonthod, Senior Expert, from Thailand’s Electronic Development Agency.
As the event came to an end, speakers agreed that AI offers huge opportunities, but countries need to prepare now. Building strong digital foundations, improving skills, and putting fair and ethical rules in place will be essential to ensure AI supports development rather than widening gaps. The message was clear: AI is moving fast, and investing in people today will determine who benefits tomorrow.
