Ep. 45 (AI Futures) - The 'Looming AI Divide': How Global Cooperation Can Help | UN Tech Envoy Amandeep Gill

In this episode of the *AI Futures* podcast, Anirudh Suri sits down with UN Under-Secretary General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies, Amandeep Gill. USG Gill offers a glimpse into the global governance of AI, the "looming AI divide," and the urgent need for international cooperation to prevent a "second great divergence" between the Global North and South. The conversation dives deep into the high-stakes risks of concentration of power, the sustainability crisis facing AI infrastructure, and the human impact on children’s mental health and cognitive development.Questions unpacked in this episode:- What new mechanisms is the UN building to ensure all countries can shape the AI future?- Will AI trigger a “second great divergence”?- Why does a single Chinese university have more compute power than the entire continent of Africa?- Are we facing a “cognitive decline” due to the increasing use of AI?- How do we ensure global AI standards are tech-neutral and inclusive, rather than set by dominant powers?- How can countries like India and Nigeria move from “market bystanders” to active players in the AI ecosystem?- Will AI create new productive opportunities—or displace the entry-level coders and data analysts of tomorrow?🔔 Subscribe and listen to the full conversation now.------Follow the upcoming India AI Impact Summit 2026: https://impact.indiaai.gov.in/*About USG Amandeep Gill*United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 10 June 2022 the appointment of Amandeep Singh Gill of India as his Envoy on Technology. Mr. Gill is the Chief Executive Officer of the International Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence Research Collaborative (I-DAIR) project, based at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. *About Anirudh Suri, Host of the Podcast*Anirudh Suri is a non-resident scholar with Carnegie India, where his research and writing focus on technology, artificial intelligence and geopolitics. He is the author of The Great Tech Game: Shaping Geopolitics and the Destinies of Nations, and host of The Great Tech Game Podcast. He is also the Managing Partner at India Internet Fund, a US and India based technology-focused venture capital fund. Previously, Anirudh has worked with the Government of India in New Delhi, McKinsey and Co in New York, Goldman Sachs in London, the Carnegie Endowment in Washington DC, and China Institute of International Studies in Beijing. He completed his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and his MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. Named a Goldman Sachs Global Leader, Anirudh has also served on the Board of the Harvard Alumni Association. He tweets @AnirudhSuri.The Great Tech Game by Anirudh Suri - https://amzn.eu/d/1Su38My Follow Anirudh here:X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/anirudhsuriLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirudhsuri/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anirudh_suriFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnirudhSuri.inWebsite: (http://www.anirudhsuri.com/) Book and Podcast: (http://www.greattechgame.com/)#IndiaAI #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026 #AIFuturesPodcast #AISummit #globalgovernance #aiguardrails #anirudhsuri #amandeepgill #unsecretarygeneral #unitednations #ai #aiimpact #standards #digitaldivide #AIDivide #digitalsovereignty #Techsovereignty #nigeria #africa #india #aifutures #tgtgpodcast #thegreattechgame #podcast