Microsoft AI Chief Warns of Widening AI Divide Between Global North and South - News and Statistics

Jul 15, 2026

The gap in artificial intelligence adoption between wealthy and developing nations continues to expand, according to Microsoft‘s top responsible AI executive, speaking to Euronews Next.

Natasha Crampton, a former member of the UN’s High-Level Advisory Body on AI, cautioned that the existing digital disparity must not transform into a more severe AI divide. She shared her perspective on the sidelines of last week’s UN AI for Good Summit in Geneva, presenting a strategy to close the gap.

She addressed rising demands for AI sovereignty at technology conferences, especially after the Trump administration, one month ago, compelled Anthropic to prohibit non-US citizens from accessing its most advanced AI models, Mythos and Fable. That prohibition has since been partly reversed. For Crampton, AI sovereignty does not merely mean local alternatives that reject globally supplied technologies. Rather, she characterized it as prioritizing local impact, cultures, values, and norms within AI systems while still leveraging global technology when appropriate.

To address the digital gap, she highlighted multilingual efforts such as the Lingua project in Europe, which has now reached Africa through a collaboration with the Gates Foundation. LINGUA Africa is a cooperative initiative involving Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab, the Gates Foundation, Google.org, and the Masakhane African Languages Hub. The initiative seeks to gather data in local languages so that foundational AI models can grasp idiomatic expressions and cultural subtleties, granting communities the independence and technical expertise to manage their own AI-driven futures.

Crampton also stressed the necessity of linking the private sector and government to promote safer AI accessible to all. The UN conducted its inaugural Global Dialogue on AI Governance in early July, with the goal of ensuring that governance reflects the priorities of every nation and that AI advantages are distributed worldwide. She noted that a primary objective for the upcoming year is to build the connective tissue among various mechanisms, including the new UN frameworks, the AI dialogue, and the panel, to prevent redundancy and accelerate progress.

An illustration of this connectivity is the digital emblem, a collaboration among Microsoft, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the International Telecommunications Union. The emblem is designed to act as a legal safeguard for hospitals and aid workers against cyberattacks, as communication tools, logistics platforms, patient care systems, and cloud and data center infrastructure face rising threats. Microsoft is urging governments to endorse the emblem through policy, humanitarian and medical organizations to assist in shaping its deployment, and technology firms to integrate it into existing tools and workflows.

Responding to public criticism regarding the environmental and economic impact of AI infrastructure, Crampton emphasized that Microsoft is adopting a community-first strategy. She stated that the company aims to be a good neighbor and community member when constructing infrastructure and has implemented measures ahead of many other firms to provide a community-first set of pledges. Rather than seeking traditional corporate tax breaks for large data centers, Microsoft is striving to broaden local tax bases to finance public services like schools and infrastructure. The company is also carefully managing resource usage to prevent its intensive computing needs from raising local household electricity costs or depleting regional water supplies, employing advanced methods such as closed-loop cooling systems.

Concerning Europe, Crampton referenced the European AI Office’s initiatives to engage with international partners, including AI safety and testing institutes in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. She underscored that cross-border collaboration is vital given the rapid evolution of AI testing and evaluation science. She called for humility from regulators, pointing out that regulations drafted a few years ago based on the best available knowledge may require adjustment as technology and risk understanding evolve. Minimizing the delay between societal expectations, technological progress, and regulatory frameworks should be a collective priority, she added.

1. INTRODUCTION

Making Data-Driven Decisions to Grow Your Business

REPORT DESCRIPTION
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND THE AI PLATFORM
DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
GLOSSARY AND SPECIFIC TERMS

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A Quick Overview of Market Performance

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3. MARKET OVERVIEW

Understanding the Current State of The Market and its Prospects

MARKET SIZE: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)
CONSUMPTION BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)
MARKET FORECAST TO 2035

4. MOST PROMISING PRODUCTS FOR DIVERSIFICATION

Finding New Products to Diversify Your Business

TOP PRODUCTS TO DIVERSIFY YOUR BUSINESS
BEST-SELLING PRODUCTS
MOST CONSUMED PRODUCTS
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5. MOST PROMISING SUPPLYING COUNTRIES

Choosing the Best Countries to Establish Your Sustainable Supply Chain

TOP COUNTRIES TO SOURCE YOUR PRODUCT
TOP PRODUCING COUNTRIES
TOP EXPORTING COUNTRIES
LOW-COST EXPORTING COUNTRIES

6. MOST PROMISING OVERSEAS MARKETS

Choosing the Best Countries to Boost Your Export

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UNSATURATED MARKETS
TOP IMPORTING MARKETS
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7. PRODUCTION

The Latest Trends and Insights into The Industry

PRODUCTION VOLUME AND VALUE: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)
PRODUCTION BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)

8. IMPORTS

The Largest Import Supplying Countries

IMPORTS: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)
IMPORTS BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)
IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)

9. EXPORTS

The Largest Destinations for Exports

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EXPORTS BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)
EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)

10. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERS

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11. COUNTRY PROFILES

The Largest Markets And Their Profiles

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