AI Power Concentration Poses Economic Risk, UAE Minister Warns UN Forum

GENEVA, Monday. A United Nations dialogue on artificial intelligence governance opened with a direct challenge to how AI’s economic benefits are distributed and who controls the infrastructure underpinning them. Omar Al Olama, the UAE’s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, framed the stakes plainly: concentrated AI power risks a tyrannical outcome, while broad distribution creates shared prosperity.

Speaking to delegates from 104 countries and organisations gathered in Switzerland, Al Olama identified three structural requirements for avoiding that outcome. The technology must be accessible to “the many, not just the few.” Infrastructure must be distributed globally rather than centralised in wealthy nations or dominant firms. And an independent judiciary must be established to give institutions like the UN meaningful authority over AI’s trajectory. “The decisions we take today are not just for ourselves and our generation, but all generations to come,” he told the room.

His portfolio extends beyond artificial intelligence to include the digital economy and remote work applications, giving him a vantage point on the broader economic consequences of how governance unfolds. He urged delegates toward cautious optimism, rejecting both naive enthusiasm and resigned pessimism.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres opened the event with a sharper warning. He called for an AI child safety pledge built on three operational rules: safety testing and oversight, zero tolerance for abuse, and crisis support systems. “No child should be a guinea pig for unregulated AI,” he said.

The timing matters. Days before the Geneva gathering, the UN’s independent scientific panel on AI warned that the technology was advancing faster than scientists could fully understand and beyond governments’ ability to regulate. That assessment has pushed questions of access and distribution to the centre of governance discussions.

Paula Bogantes Zamora, Costa Rica’s Minister of Science and Technology, sharpened the economic argument during panel discussions on bridging AI divides. Access to AI tools alone does not constitute inclusion, she argued. The underlying problem is structural: 2.2 billion people remain disconnected from basic internet access, meaning foundational infrastructure gaps preclude participation long before AI capability becomes relevant. She called for diversified investment in AI development and pressed delegates to treat connectivity as a prerequisite for equitable distribution.

Meanwhile, concerns about linguistic and cultural bias in AI systems added another dimension to the investment debate. The dominance of certain languages in AI training data risks marginalising large bodies of knowledge and entire cultures. The economic consequence is direct: it determines which markets and regions become commercially valuable to technology developers and which are bypassed.

The UAE has staked out a prominent position in this landscape. According to Microsoft’s AI Economy Institute, the country has emerged as the global leader in AI adoption, the product of more than a decade of prioritised investment and innovation. The nation has simultaneously developed regulatory frameworks intended to protect residents and organisations (most recently becoming the first Arab nation to ban children under 15 from social media platforms), signalling a model that pairs aggressive investment with protective guardrails.

The Geneva dialogue is the first of two major UN convenings on AI governance. A follow-up session is planned for New York on May 3 and 4 next year. Whether that second gathering produces binding commitments on infrastructure investment and connectivity, or remains a forum for competing national interests, will test whether the distribution principles debated in Geneva translate into capital flows that actually reach the 2.2 billion people currently locked out.