As artificial intelligence advances rapidly, experts warn that the widening AI divide is becoming a major challenge for the Global South. They say China is helping narrow the gap by promoting more inclusive approaches and expanding practical cooperation.
China's initiatives in AI governance provide the Global South with a greater voice in shaping global AI rules while helping developing countries benefit from the technology, they said.
The divide is already evident. While more than 1 billion people worldwide use AI chatbots every week, the Global South lags "far behind the Global North" in AI adoption, the United Nations said in a report this month.
The International Monetary Fund's AI Preparedness Index underscores the disparity, with advanced economies scoring 0.68, compared with 0.46 for emerging markets and just 0.32 for low-income countries. The gap is largely driven by the Global North's dominance in computing infrastructure and the Global South's limited capacity for AI research and deployment.
The consequences are far-reaching and potentially transformative, as experts warn of a new form of technological dependency and industrial stratification.
