The UN Warns that AI-linked Investment Benefits are Being “unevenly Distributed”. The “Space & Tech” sector has become the primary engine of global growth in 2026, but the UN’s warning about the “Next Great Divergence” highlights a critical fracture in how this prosperity is being realized. ​While AI-linked investments are expected to exceed $2 trillion this year, the concentration of these gains is creating a lopsided recovery.
​AI is currently providing a massive “macro support” to the global economy, contributing roughly 25% of U.S. GDP growth in 2026. However, this growth is heavily anchored in infrastructure that most developing nations lack. Global data center construction costs are projected to reach $2.9 trillion by 2028. We have shifted from training models to usage-heavy workloads, making continuous access to high-end semiconductors and massive energy grids the new “entry fee” for economic relevance.
​A recent UN report titled “The Next Great Divergence: Why AI May Widen Inequality” argues that the digital divide is no longer just about internet access, but about computational sovereignty. 2026, the market has moved past “AI mentions” in earnings calls and is now rewarding monetization and scale. Wealthy nations and tech giants are locking in long-term debt and JVs (like Meta’s $27B data-center campus) to secure the chips and energy needed for AI.
Developing nations are often the source of the raw materials (and the cooling water) for these systems, yet they receive the smallest share of the value added. ​To counter this, the UN General Assembly recently launched a Global Dialogue on AI Governance (set for mid-2026). The goal is to move from “access” to “capacity building,” ensuring that smaller businesses and emerging markets can access the compute power needed to remain competitive.
AI is acting as a “J-curve” recovery for the tech sector, but without intentional technology transfer, the UN fears we are witnessing the permanent erosion of the gains made in global poverty reduction over the last 50 years.
