IDRC Predicts the Future of Artificial Intelligence in the Global South

There is little doubt that artificial intelligence technologies will be transformational. Breathtaking advances will be made, extraordinary wealth will be created, and many of our social and institutional structures will be transformed. However, we must ask: whose lives will be improved (or harmed) by these technologies? A key assertion of this paper, "Artificial Intelligence and Human Development" is that, if we continue blindly forward, we should expect to see increased inequality alongside economic disruption, social unrest, and in some cases, political instability, with the technologically disadvantaged and underrepresented faring the worst. This prediction stems from the interweaving of two elements: the nature of AI applications, and projections of the impacts of AI applications in the current global context.