Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the world must ensure the digital divide does not become an “AI divide.” He said expanding access to computing infrastructure, connectivity and training is essential as AI reshapes the economy.
Pichai said AI represents “the biggest platform shift in our lifetimes” and has the potential to drive “super progress” across science, medicine and economic development. However, these benefits are neither guaranteed nor automatic.
“We must be just as bold in addressing issues in regions that lack access to technology,” Pichai said. “We cannot allow the digital divide to become the AI divide. That means investing in computing infrastructure and connectivity.”
To ensure that AI improves public services and expands opportunities, governments need to act as both regulators and innovators, he added.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said that while AI capabilities are rapidly advancing, there is a gap between those capabilities and real-world impact.
“There’s a duality between the basic functionality of a technology and the time it takes for that functionality to be distributed globally,” he says.
“Introducing things through companies just creates friction, and I think it creates even more friction in developing countries,” he added.
