AI is often presented as the next peak of human innovation, owing to its potential to revolutionize industries, transform economies and improve lives.
But will AI truly benefit everyone or will it deepen existing divides? The answer depends on how the technology is developed, deployed and governed. Without purposeful interventions, AI’s potential will be harnessed for narrow gains by those who prioritize profits over people.
Encouragingly, the cost of AI development is beginning to decline. While OpenAI’s GPT-4 cost $100 million to train, the Chinese startup DeepSeek’s comparable model apparently cost a fraction of that. This trend has promising implications for developing countries, which generally lack the massive financial resources that earlier AI innovations required but could soon be able to access and leverage these technologies more affordably. The choices we make today will determine whether AI becomes an instrument of inclusion or exclusion.
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