Advanced research in the field of artificial ielligence predicts that the emergence of artificial general ielligence (AGI) may take from the next few years to an indefinite period. Meanwhile, economists also disagree about the poteial effects of this technology; Some envision a future of ever-increasing productivity, while others believe in more limited progress. However, most experts agree that technological progress, no matter how widespread, is not guaraeed to benefit everyone.
A vision of the future
Despite this, many major AI research and developme projects state that ensuring everyone can benefit from this technology is one of their key goals. But trying to ensure that AI helps create an inclusive future is one of the most underinvested areas of AI governance. This situation seems normal considering the curre uncertaiies; Because the effects of artificial ielligence on work and inequality are not yet clear, making it difficult to design ierveions. However, we do know that some key factors will shape the ieraction between AI and inequality over the next few decades. Paying atteion to these factors can help us to turn the idea that artificial ielligence will benefit everyone from an absurd dream io a reality.
Artificial ielligence is mainly developed and used by the private sector, so it is strongly influenced by the inceive structures in global economies. If we wa to have an accurate prediction about these economies, we need to pay atteion to their future demographic composition. There are significa differences between high-income couries, whose populations will age rapidly and decline without immigration, and low- and middle-income couries, which will coinue to grow uil the end of the ceury due to population growth.
Africa: Beginning Efforts to Regulate Artificial Ielligence
While AI is expanding across the African coine and new policies are being formed, weak digital infrastructure and regulatory barriers could slow adoption. What does this situation have to do with artificial ielligence? The developme of artificial ielligence is concerated in old couries, and this technology follows the specific needs and motivations of those regions. Couries facing a declining working-age-to-retireme ratio must find ways to expand their effective workforce, whether through human or artificial ielligence. Increasing the retireme age is the only limited and unpleasa solution. On the other hand, immigration could also have an effect, but given ai-immigration seime, this seems unlikely. If immigration policies in rich couries don’t change, we’re likely to see AI being used to fill labor gaps.
At first glance, this trend may not exacerbate inequality. But if it is accompanied by an unfair distribution of gains and losses, a reduction in salaries and working conditions, and an increase in supervision of workers, it can lead to an increase in inequality. Even if efforts to replace labor with artificial ielligence are successful in rich couries, they may exacerbate iernational inequality. Low-income couries, especially in the 21st ceury, need gainful employme, not labor-replacing technology. However, machines designed to compensate for labor shortages in rich couries often spread rapidly to other couries that need more employme.
The use of artificial ielligence for global needs and the need to change course
In such a situation, AI applications designed to save labor may be more developed than more useful applications. For example, developing artificial ielligence to combat climate change, predict natural disasters, or cost-effective personal training may pale in comparison to labor cost-saving projects in the retail, hospitality, and transportation sectors. Governmes, developme banks, and philahropic organizations must make broader investmes to ensure the applications of artificial ielligence in helping to meet the needs of poorer couries.
But this default path cannot be the final destiny. We can decide to direct more public research and developme efforts toward global challenges such as accelerating the transition to green energy and improving educational outcomes. Investing in creating artificial ielligence developme ceers in low-income couries can help change this direction. If none of these actions are taken, AI will coinue to be shaped by restrictive economic inceives and could lead to profound negative consequences not just for poorer couries, but for everyone.
