Overview
- The UNDP’s “The Next Great Divergence” report, released Dec. 2, warns that AI could widen inequality by concentrating gains in wealthier countries unless policies change.
- Asia-Pacific sits at the center of the transition, hosting more than half of AI users, with China holding nearly 70% of AI patents and six economies home to over 3,100 newly funded AI firms.
- The report forecasts about a two-percentage-point lift to annual growth in the region and estimates nearly $1 trillion in additional ASEAN GDP over the next decade, though gains will be uneven.
- Jobs held by women are nearly twice as exposed to automation, and employment for 22- to 25-year-olds is declining in high-AI-exposure roles, heightening risks for early-career workers.
- UNDP calls for investment in power, connectivity, skills, data governance and social protections, noting a quarter of the region remains offline and flagging threats from cyberattacks, deepfakes and resource-hungry data centers.