Issue Global technology gaps and digital inequality

Summary

Asymmetries in digital infrastructure, core technologies such as semiconductors and AI, and capacity in data, standards and governance are combining to widen economic and social gaps between countries and regions. Technology and capital controls, research security, standards, AI model security, data privacy and trust gaps are interacting to produce new forms of digital inequality. As US-China technology rivalry intensifies, export controls and investment restrictions on advanced chips and AI are tightening, deepening regional asymmetries in research and data access. Competition over data sovereignty and privacy norms adds to the divide, since frameworks such as the EU AI Act and the ISO/IEC 42001 AI management standard are advancing while developing countries lack the capacity to comply and audit, creating a compliance gap and an AI trust gap. Inconsistent data-transfer rules among jurisdictions such as the EU and China are also reducing interoperability, while large offline populations persist in low-income and rural areas.