BANGKOK – Beyond the excitement surrounding artificial intelligence, there are pressing challenges regarding its impact on those already at a disadvantage in our increasingly data-centric world.

According to a recent United Nations Development Program report, affluent nations are poised to benefit the most from AI advancements unless significant efforts are made to leverage this technology to bridge existing disparities in access to essential resources and advanced knowledge.

Released on Tuesday, the report draws a parallel to the “Great Divergence” of the industrial age, where Western nations surged ahead in modernization while others lagged.

The potential of AI to transform or even replace jobs with automation raises widespread concerns about its use by corporations and institutions.

While discussions around AI often center on enhancing productivity, competitiveness, and growth, the report’s authors emphasize that the real focus should be on its implications for human lives.

It’s an issue for communities where most people are still struggling to access skills, electric power and internet connectivity, for older people, for people displaced by war, civil conflict and climate disasters. At the same time, such people may be “invisible” in data that will not take them into account, the report said.

“As a general-purpose technology, AI can lift productivity, spark new industries, and help latecomers catch up,” the report says.

Better advice on farming, analysis of X-rays within seconds and faster medical diagnoses, more effective weather forecasts and damage assessments hold promise for rural communities and areas prone to natural disasters.

“AI systems that analyze poverty, health, and disaster risks enable faster, fairer, and more transparent decisions, turning data into continuous learning and public value,” it says.

Still, even in wealthy nations like the United States, the potential for data centers to devour too large a share of electricity and water has raised concerns. Ramping up power generation to meet higher demand may hinder progress in limiting the emissions of carbon from burning fossil fuels that contribute to global warming, while also causing health hazards.

The technology raises ethical, privacy and cybersecurity concerns: researchers have found hackers using AI to automate portions of cyberattacks. There also is the problem of deepfakes that can misinform or facilitate criminal activity.

Asian nations including China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore are well placed to take advantage of AI tools, the report notes, while places like Afghanistan, the Maldives and Myanmar lack skills, reliable power and other resources needed to tap into the computing potential of AI. Inequalities between regions within countries mean some places even in advanced economies are prone to be left behind.

About a quarter of the Asia-Pacific region lacks online access, the report says. If such gaps are not closed, many millions may be excluded from the kinds of devices, digital payment systems, digital IDs and education and skills that are required to participate fully in the global economy. They may be “stranded on the wrong side of an AI-driven global economy,” it says.

Other risks include misinformation and disinformation, surveillance that violates rights to privacy and systems that can act as “black boxes,” reinforcing biases against minorities or other groups. So transparency and effective regulations are crucial guardrails for ensuring AI is used in fair and accountable ways, it says.

“AI is becoming the region’s next essential infrastructure, like power, roads, and schools, with faster upsides and sharper risks,” the report says, urging governments to invest more in providing digital infrastructure, education and training, fair competition and social protections.

“The goal,” it says, “is to democratize access to AI so that every country and community can benefit while protecting those most at risk from disruption.”