UNESCO has proposed a framework to help counter the negative impacts of AI and promote its benefits for all.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has immense potential to advance global development and reduce inequality. By processing large amounts of data quickly, AI is already facilitating access to essential services like microfinance, healthcare, and education, especially in developing nations. AI is also aiding efforts in combating climate change and can significantly lower the costs of housing by integrating 3D printing technology. It’s clear that AI could become a game-changer, particularly in the rapidly urbanizing developing world.
However, the full potential of AI to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and alleviate global poverty has yet to be realized. According to recent research from the International Monetary Fund, the current trajectory of AI technologies is more likely to worsen global inequality than to alleviate it.
A study by Price Waterhouse Cooper in 2017 predicted that countries investing in AI could see up to a 14% increase in their GDP by 2030. Despite such predictions, these economic benefits will be highly uneven. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has pointed out that 75% of all new digital innovations and patents come from just 250 firms, with the majority of the biggest digital platforms being based in the US and China. By 2030, it is expected that North America and China will profit significantly, while developing countries will continue to struggle with the economic repercussions of the pandemic, which have already exacerbated inequality and poverty. As writer William Gibson aptly put it: “The future is here, it’s just unevenly distributed.”
In response to these growing concerns, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres outlined a roadmap for digital cooperation in 2020. He warned that the fourth industrial revolution is deepening global inequalities and benefiting only a select few. Guterres tasked UNESCO with creating a global consensus on the ethical use of AI, highlighting the lack of representation from developing countries in key AI discussions.
UNESCO took action by gathering 24 experts from various disciplines to draft ethical AI guidelines. Public online consultations, regional virtual meetings, and citizen workshops were conducted in 25 countries to ensure inclusivity and diverse input. The result was the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, which was formally adopted by 193 member states on November 25, 2020. This agreement signals a shift towards a common global vision—developing AI that is human-centered and focused on solving the world’s most pressing challenges, rather than exacerbating existing problems.
With the commitment of 193 nations to this new framework, the negative trends of the AI revolution can be reversed. Governments will play a key role in managing this complex transition, with UNESCO offering support through training and tools to close the digital skills gap. Over half the world’s population still lacks internet access, and UNESCO will aid in bridging this vast digital divide by fostering partnerships between developed and developing countries, facilitating technology transfer, and providing investment and capacity-building resources.
Many individuals in developing countries are particularly vulnerable to data exploitation, where their personal data is sold for profit by private corporations. UNESCO’s recommendations call for governments to enact laws that protect citizens’ data privacy, allowing them to access, delete, and seek compensation for any breaches.
UNESCO is advocating for stronger legislation in the AI sector to safeguard human rights and ensure that AI is developed and deployed for the benefit of all. The organization is also working to foster international collaboration on AI research, focusing on the needs of developing countries.
This is a crucial moment for the future of AI. By prioritizing human rights and the needs of marginalized communities, UNESCO’s recommendations seek to ensure that AI technologies serve humanity’s most urgent challenges, including inequality and the environmental crisis
