This UNDP project focuses on the potential impact of AI on inequality, particularly between countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The key research question addresses whether AI could increase inequality, with a focus on how richer countries may disproportionately benefit and poorer ones may bear the costs of disruptions. The project explores how AI may create upward pressure on between-country inequality, particularly in Asia-Pacific, and aims to measure this effect, while acknowledging that other trends may influence inequality dynamics.
The analysis will examine AI's impact in the context of three major shifts in development strategies highlighted in the Asia Pacific Human Development Report (UNDP, 2023): 1) a people-first approach, 2) smarter growth for sustainability and inclusion, and 3) more effective leadership and governance. The project will explore AI's effects on various thematic areas like poverty, green transition, labor markets, and governance, and will balance both the costs and benefits of AI, especially its potential for human development.
Contributors are asked to focus on the Asia-Pacific region, examine AI's role in both disrupting and supporting human development, and assess the uneven distribution of benefits and disruptions within and between countries. They will also explore policy actions and strategies to leverage AI for better human development outcomes. The project’s target audience includes policy and decision-makers in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as UNDP country offices and domestic stakeholders involved in advancing sustainable development.
