
Copyright © UNDP 2025 United Nations Development ProgramOne United Nations Plaza New York, NY 10017, USA All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, inany form or by means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission. General disclaimers The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression ofany opinion whatsoever of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) concerning the legal status of anycountry, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dottedand dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. The findings, analysis, and recommendations of this Report do not represent the official position of the UNDP orof any of the UN Member States that are part of its Executive Board. They are also not necessarily endorsed bythose mentioned in the acknowledgments or cited. This volume compiles background papers authored by independent experts, and the views expressed in eachpaper are solely those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect those of UNDP or its partners. All reasonable precautions have been taken to verify the information contained in this publication. However, thepublished material is being distributed without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material lies with the reader. In no event shall the UNDPbe liable for damages arising from its use. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report compiles the nine background papers thatunderpinThe Next Great Divergence?These paperswere authored by leading scholars and practitionersfrom across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, whoseresearch and insights form the analytical foundation ofthe report. •Zheng Liang, Shuyang Sheng, Zhenming Huang,and Shangrui Wang (Institute for AI InternationalGovernance, Tsinghua University),AI for the NextGeneration of Public Services We extend our sincere appreciation to Peter Stalker,who edited this volume and contributed greatly toensuring clarity, consistency, and coherence across thebackground papers. We also thank the colleagues whoprovided valuable feedback on the background papers,including Niclas Benni, Violante di Canossa, AmosC. Peters, and Linghui (Jude) Zhu, whose thoughtfulreviews helped align this volume with the synthesisreport. Additional comments and suggestions fromSimone Boneschi, Heather Doyle, Salma Elhagyousif,Doina Ghimici, Sudha Gooty, Monty Jefferson, KathrynJohnson, Sean Lees, Sriganesh Lokanathan, AlexandruOprunenco, Reina Otsuka, Paola Piccione, DianaTorres, and Chongguang (Charles) Yu are gratefullyacknowledged. •Catherine Tucker and Nan Clement (MIT Sloan Schoolof Management),Seeing the Unseen – Avoiding DataDeserts and Algorithmic Exclusion •Shen Zhou (School of Humanities and SocialSciences, AI Fusion Institute, University of Scienceand Technology of China) and Xufeng Zhu (Institute forSustainable Development Goals, Tsinghua University),AI and Human Security •Xian Hu and Chen Fang (School of Economicsand Management, Tsinghua University), under theguidance of Jian Zhang (Institute of Climate Changeand Sustainable Development, Tsinghua University),AI and the Climate Crisis We also thank Yingming He, Tomas Kvedaras, AyazhanNurpeiis, and Raymond Gaspar, for their valuablecontributions; Raul de Mora Jimenez, Aminath Mihdha,and Richa Ranjitkar from the UNDP communications andproduction team, for feedback on the design, layout,and the dissemination of the Report, and Thitirat Uraisinfor the administrative and operations support. •Sara Beery (Department of Electrical Engineeringand Computer Science, Massachusetts Instituteof Technology),People-Centric AI for ConservingBiodiversity •Michael Muthukrishna (London School of Economicsand Political Science) and Iyad Rahwan (Max PlanckInstitute for Human Development),AI for Productivityand Empowerment – in Agriculture, Health, Educationand Transport UNDP expresses its deep gratitude to all contributorsfor their commitment, intellectual rigor, and collaborationin advancing the dialogue on artificial intelligence andhuman development in Asia and the Pacific. •Shahid Yusuf (The Growth Dialogue, GeorgeWashington University),The MacroeconomicConsequences of AI •Sarayu Natarajan, Kunal Raj Barua, Supratik Mitra,Nighat and Sagnik Sanyal (Aapti Institute),Lessonsfrom Online Gig Work in India and Indonesia Philip Schellekens Chief EconomistRegional Bureau for Asia and the PacificUnited Nations Development Program •Urvashi Aneja, Aarushi Gupta, and Sasha John (DigitalFutures Lab),Exploring the Potential of AI to Usher ina New Governance Paradigm in Asia and the Pacific. CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................................................