Now, it seems that almost nothing in our lives moves without AI.
On 12 June 2018, long before the world became so obsessed with artificial intelligence, I had the opportunity to participate in an Inclusive AI Conference at the UN Headquarters in New York. The United Nations had already foreseen both the immense potential and the serious risks associated with AI. The objective was clear: to chart a roadmap for Inclusive AI so that marginalized, vulnerable, and underserved communities would not be pushed further to the margins by this transformative technology.
Eight years later, I find myself reflecting on how far we have come—and how far we still have to go.
Despite remarkable technological advancements, the world appears increasingly unequal, discriminatory, abusive, and undemocratic for many sections of society. The UN and countless organizations deserve credit for their efforts to address these challenges, but the broader trajectory remains worrying. Systemic discrimination, skewed income distribution, ecological degradation, and escalating climate impacts continue to deepen existing inequalities.
The rich are getting richer, often at the expense of both the poor and the planet. Not surprisingly, they also dominate access to and control over emerging technologies, including AI.
The contradictions are striking. AI-powered drones can help irrigate crop fields and improve agricultural productivity. The same technology can also be deployed to bomb innocent children in conflict zones. Yet the small and marginal farmers who feed much of the world often cannot afford these innovations, nor are they positioned to benefit from them.
This is why we need to fundamentally rethink how technology is developed, governed, and adopted. Technological progress, by itself, cannot be the measure of human progress. No matter how sophisticated our tools become, the rights of poor, Indigenous, and marginalized communities to land, water, forests, livelihoods, and dignity must remain non-negotiable.
Democracies, too, need to be reconnected to principles of inclusion, justice, and accountability. If AI is to serve humanity, it must be guided not merely by innovation and profit, but by equity, rights, and ecological responsibility.
The future should not belong only to those who own technology. It must also belong to those whose lives are most affected by it.
~ Ranjan Panda
13th June, 2026
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