AI will affect 40 % of global jobs and widen inequalities
Bill Gates himself announced itjobs will be replaced. The UNCTAD goes in its direction according to a report published last Thursday. The UN agency underlines the potential of the AI in terms of productivity and acceleration of digital transformation. However, these gains arouse significant concerns in terms of socio-economic consequences.
AI will even more digestive the inequalities
UNCTAD ALERT on automation and deletion of jobs. According to the UN agency, AI could allocate 40 % of positions worldwide. Worse still: the benefits of this technology would not be inclusive. Economic benefits would then be “Strongly concentrated”.
“The advantages of automation powered by AI often promote capital to the detriment of labor, which risks accentuating inequalities and reducing the competitive advantage of low-cost labor in developing economies”specifies the document.
The concern about unemployment and disparities around AI is nothing new. The International Monetary Fund has already warned over a year ago. Last January, the World Economic Forum revealed that 41 % of employers planned to reduce their workforce in the fields where AI can replace humans.
The UNCTAD report reveals the disparities between nations. The United Nations explains that 40 % of global expenses of research and development of companies in AI are concentrated in the hands of only 100 firms, mainly American and Chinese.
The UN agency specifies that the market value of technological giants such as Apple, Nvidia and Microsoft, the main companies that take advantage of the development of AI, competes with the gross domestic product of the whole African continent.
Many countries would then be lagging behind and AI risks accentuating technological fractures according to UNCTED. Both national and corporate. The organization notes that 118 nations, mainly from the South Global, are absent from the main discussions on AI governance.
However, AI is not limited to a replacement of workers. The report indicates that it can also “Create new industries and empower workers”. But provided of an investment in the conversion and improvement of skills.
In order not to develop countries to be distanced, they must have “Voices in the chapter” In AI regulation and the ethical frameworks that supervise it, insists the UN agency.
UNCTAD has shared its recommendations to the international community to push for inclusive growth. Among them: the creation of a public disclosure mechanism for AI, infrastructure sharing, the use of open source models and initiatives to share knowledge and resources.
“AI can be a catalyst for progress, innovation and shared prosperity, but only if countries actively shape its trajectory”concludes the report. “Strategic investments, inclusive governance and international cooperation are essential to guarantee that AI benefits everyone, rather than strengthening existing cleavages.”
