Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping global opportunities and risks, and this transformation is especially evident across Asia and the Pacific. UNDP’s upcoming regional report, The Next Great Divergence: Why AI may widen inequality between countries, highlights that while AI is advancing at an unprecedented pace, countries are starting from vastly different positions. Some nations are moving ahead quickly, supported by strong digital infrastructure, skilled workforces and effective governance, while others remain far behind and struggle to manage the disruptions AI brings. Despite these disparities, the effects of AI-driven change are being felt throughout the region.
The report emphasizes that AI must be developed and deployed through the interconnected lenses of people, economy and governance. Its potential to empower communities, enhance innovation and strengthen institutions coexists with risks of exclusion, job displacement and increased inequality. Asia and the Pacific serves as a vast and diverse testing ground, adopting AI rapidly while also grappling with sharp contrasts in income levels and persistent gender gaps. These disparities heighten the risk of AI amplifying existing biases, affecting communities and countries in uneven ways.
According to the report, divergence in AI readiness and impact will stem from the interaction of unequal capabilities, economic differences and governance gaps. Because countries vary widely in their needs and aspirations, there is no universal model for integrating AI. Instead, each nation requires a tailored roadmap grounded in its own context. The “Next Great Divergence” refers to the growing inequality between countries that develop and influence AI technologies and those that mainly experience their consequences. This widening gap threatens to reverse the gains of the “Great Convergence,” when earlier technological breakthroughs helped lift millions out of poverty.
Arriving at a pivotal moment, the report builds on findings from the Global Human Development Report and urges policymakers to place AI at the center of development strategies. It calls on governments, institutions and development partners to take proactive steps so that AI becomes a driver of shared prosperity rather than a source of deeper inequality. For UNDP teams, it highlights the need to strengthen skills, modernize systems and translate these insights into a new generation of programmes that help countries steer AI in ways that foster convergence and inclusive progress.
