AI can exacerbate digital poverty and other inequities if leaders don’t build more inclusive systems, writes visiting scholar Cornelia Walther.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to radically reshape how societies operate, from optimizing resource distribution to enhancing education, health care, and economic opportunities. Done right, AI can serve as a powerful lever for inclusion—amplifying the voices of the marginalized, widening access to essential services, and closing development gaps. Done poorly, it can embed and even exacerbate the inequalities it was meant to address. The key difference lies in intentional design, implementation, and governance centered on inclusivity and equity rather than profit or efficiency alone.