AI Boom May Widen Global Inequality, Warns Anthropic Report

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping economies and workplaces, but its benefits may not be evenly shared across the world. A new report by Anthropic has warned that the growing adoption of AI could widen the economic gap between high-income and low-income countries, rather than narrow it.

Anthropic, an AI startup backed by Amazon and Google, analysed over one million interactions with its chatbot Claude, spanning free users, paid subscribers and enterprise clients. The findings suggest that wealthier nations are adopting AI tools much faster and more deeply than poorer countries, with little evidence that lower-income regions are catching up.

The company noted that as it prepares to open its first office in India, internal research shows AI usage is heavily concentrated in richer economies. Similar concerns have been flagged across the industry, with Microsoft also highlighting a growing “global north–global south” divide in AI adoption.

Peter McCrory, Anthropic’s head of economics, told the Financial Times that if productivity gains from AI primarily benefit early adopters, living standards could diverge further between countries. He warned that developed economies could pull even farther ahead as they double down on AI-driven growth.

Free vs Paid AI Use

Anthropic’s data shows that lower-income countries rely far more on free AI tools, using Claude mainly for education and learning. In contrast, higher-income nations are more likely to use AI for professional and productivity-focused tasks, such as software development.

The report also highlights the role of education. Users with stronger educational backgrounds tend to extract greater productivity benefits from AI by crafting more advanced prompts and applying the tools to complex tasks.

AI and the Future of Work

Anthropic estimates that AI could add 1–2 percentage points to annual labour productivity growth in the United States over the next decade, particularly in knowledge-intensive sectors. The research suggests that around 50% of jobs could soon use AI for at least a quarter of their tasks, up from 36% last year.

The largest users of Claude include the United States, India, Japan, the UK and South Korea, while countries such as Brazil and parts of the Balkans show higher enterprise adoption. Indonesia stands out for its strong use of AI in education.

However, the real-world economic impact remains uncertain. A recent MIT study found that 95% of companies investing in generative AI have yet to see a clear positive return, underscoring the gap between AI’s promise and its current payoff.

The report comes amid broader debates fueled by tech leaders like Elon Musk, who have predicted a future where AI could eliminate the need for work altogether. Anthropic’s findings suggest the transition may be far more uneven — and unequal.