AI, green energy and economic transitions risk leaving vulnerable communities behind, UN warns

Rapid transformations – from artificial intelligence and digital technologies to renewable energy and demographic shifts – are reshaping economies worldwide, creating new opportunities but also threatening to deepen socio-economic inequalities, a new UN report warned on Thursday.Benefiting from these changes often requires specialised skills and access to the latest technologies, putting disadvantaged groups at risk of being left behind.Women, young people, older persons, persons with disabilities, migrants, Indigenous Peoples and low-income communities are particularly vulnerable, the report stresses, outlining recommendations for governments to ensure these transformations benefit everyone. Inclusion is a priority Social inclusion is a moral imperative, but it is also an economic necessity, the report from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) underlined.It found that expanding opportunities to marginalised groups enlarges the productive workforce, strengthens human capital, increases innovation and entrepreneurship, improves labour allocation and spreads productivity gains more widely. “Inclusive societies are more productive, resilient, and prosperous,” Secret...