AI threatens to increase inequality

The debate on AI has focused mainly on its potential effect on employment. The impact on equality should not however be missed. 'Human capital'--the economic value of our cognitive and noncognitive capacities--is our most important asset. According to recent World Bank estimates, the value of human capital globally amounts to 64 per cent of total capital, while in the advanced-country members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development it is typically worth four to six times as much as physical capital. Human capital is decisive not only for welfare but also for growth, social mobility and income distribution.