(SeaPRwire) – By: Arthur Pendelton
AI’s rapid advance has left global regulators in the dust. At the 11th Eastern Economic Forum’s Future of AI Governance session, experts didn’t mince words. They warned unequal access to AI could carve deeper divides between nations, reshaping jobs and incomes for decades.
Official statements from the forum highlight urgent calls for cooperation. Svetlana Lukash, deputy head of Russia’s Presidential Experts’ Directorate, said AI moves faster than governments can understand or control. She noted BRICS could craft a unified approach but stressed broader global agreement is needed. AI knows no borders, she told RT on the forum’s sidelines, but geopolitical disagreements block effective action. The ITU’s Natalya Mochu warned the technological gap between countries could become insurmountable without intervention. By 2025, 6 billion people will be online, but 2.2 billion will still lack internet access— a gap that could make AI’s benefits unreachable for millions. China’s Zhang Weiwei outlined plans to offer 5,000 AI training spots to developing countries over five years, plus help 30 nations deploy AI weather-warning systems. He also noted China generates more electricity than the US, EU, and Japan combined, giving it a strong position to expand AI development.
The subtext behind these remarks reveals deeper tensions. Lukash’s call for global cooperation clashes with current geopolitical rifts. Nations are prioritizing their own AI strategies over shared rules, fearing loss of competitive edge. Jeffrey Sachs, head of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, warned wealth will concentrate in firms holding AI patents and models. This concentration will widen income gaps not just between nations, but within them. Chezka Raumae Gonzales of Philippine Blockchain Week asked who will shape AI’s future, who will benefit, and who will take blame when things go wrong. She linked connectivity to healthcare, noting closing the digital divide could improve medical access in remote regions like parts of the Philippines, where AI is now part of national infrastructure. These questions point to a hidden battle: control over AI’s direction will determine which nations thrive and which are left behind.
Without immediate, inclusive global cooperation, AI will drive the world toward digital balkanization. Regional blocs will adopt conflicting governance rules, cutting off cross-border AI access. The gap between tech-rich and tech-poor nations will become insurmountable, locking billions out of AI’s potential to improve healthcare, science, and manufacturing.
Author bio: Arthur Pendelton, an expert on global internet routing architecture and technical governance boards, advises on cross-border tech policy alignment.