Arab News | Will AI increase or ease inequality?

One of the most important questions people are asking about artificial intelligence is whether smarter and more intelligent AI will make the world more unequal, widening the gap between the rich or poor, or if it will eventually help lift everyone up. Will rich countries pull even further ahead of poorer ones? Will a small group of people and companies get most of the gains while everyone else struggles?

We must examine this issue from both the short-term and long-term perspectives. Right now, the advantages appear to be piling up in places that already have resources. Building and running powerful AI needs huge amounts of electricity, specialized computer chips, skilled engineers and large investments. Rich countries and big tech companies in those countries control most of these things. So, the first big wave of AI progress seems to be happening mainly in a handful of places.

This creates two layers of inequality. First, inequality within a country. Even in a nation that reaches very advanced AI or something close to superintelligence, not everyone will benefit equally at the start. A few companies and the people who own or work closely with them will capture most of the early profits. They will have better tools, better information and more ways to make money. Many other workers will see their jobs change or disappear as AI takes over routine tasks in offices, factories, customer service and even creative work.

Second, inequality between countries. Nations with strong infrastructure, capital and research talent will pull ahead. Developing countries that still struggle with reliable electricity, internet access or education systems will most likely lag further behind. This means that the productivity boost from AI will show up first where the technology is already concentrated.

The productivity boost from AI will show up first where the technology is already concentrated

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh

These short-term effects are already visible, as wealthier people and places can use AI to work more productively, start new businesses or cut costs. People and places without the same access fall further behind, at least for a while.

AI is expected to automate a large number of jobs. But when large numbers of people lose their means of earning a living, the situation cannot stay unbalanced forever.

History has repeatedly shown that when a small group holds most of the gains while many others feel left out, pressure builds. Millions of people together have power.

Civil society groups, workers, voters and ordinary citizens can demand change. Unrest, protests or political shifts become more likely if the gap grows too wide and too fast. Leaders and companies at the top have a strong reason to listen if they want a stable society. Extreme inequality is hard to maintain when the numbers on the other side are so large.

This might be one reason many people, including some tech leaders, talk about regular payments to citizens — sometimes called universal basic income or, in stronger versions, universal high income.

The idea is that if AI and robots produce far more goods and services than before, societies can share some of that abundance through regular checks, so people can still live decently even if traditional jobs disappear. Elon Musk has spoken about this possibility. He has suggested that in a future of great AI-driven abundance, government-issued checks could help deal with the unemployment caused by the technology. He has also said that saving for retirement the way people do today may become less important because the overall level of prosperity could rise so much that the old rules about nest eggs no longer apply.

Whether or not that exact future arrives, the underlying point is that, when technology creates huge new wealth, societies often tend to find ways to spread some of it around so the system stays workable.

The large number of people affected creates strong pressure for the redistribution of wealth and fairer rules

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh

Another issue to consider is that advanced AI is not only a tool for the powerful. Once the technology becomes cheaper and more widely available, it can give ordinary people new ways to be innovative and solve problems.

For example, a small business owner in a developing country could use AI to handle accounting, marketing, translation or customer questions that used to require expensive staff. A farmer could get better advice on weather, soil or crop diseases. A student in a village with limited schools could access high-quality explanations and tutoring. Health workers could use AI tools to help diagnose illnesses or manage limited resources more effectively. People who never had access to expensive experts can suddenly get useful help at low cost.

This matters because, over time, these effects can compound. The same technology that first concentrated power can later spread capability more widely.

So, in the short term, advanced AI is likely to widen some gaps. Rich countries and well-positioned groups inside them will capture more of the early gains. Job losses will hit many people hard. Inequality within and between countries could grow for a while. But over the longer term, the picture may look different. The large number of people affected creates strong pressure for the redistribution of wealth and fairer rules. History has repeatedly shown that societies do not stay in extreme imbalance, with the majority left behind, forever.