Who should receive access to the most capable systems — and on what terms?
Compute-based governance assumes a Compute North; most of the world is Compute South. Access tiers, pricing, and eligibility decisions at a handful of firms currently function as de facto global policy.
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The access gap got measured: roughly one in six people worldwide now use generative AI, but Global North adoption grew nearly twice as fast in late 2025, widening the divide — and the US hosts over ten times more data centers than any other country. Single company pricing decisions, like a free tier for all of India, still function as de facto global access policy.
Of the ten countries with the largest increases in AI adoption share, all are high-income economies
The best available measurement of who is actually getting access: roughly one in six people worldwide use generative AI, but Global North adoption grew nearly twice as fast as Global South in H2 2025.
Those on the wrong side of the divide are more likely to experience AI as an opaque system acting upon them.
Synthesizes the access question into three dimensions — computational concentration, skills stratification, and governance exclusion.
AI is not just technology, it's infrastructure. It depends on compute clusters, energy grids, and network connectivity—assets rooted in specific geographies
Policy-venue statement of the access problem: decisions being made now about compute, governance seats, and locally-adapted tools will determine whether the Global South shapes its AI future or has it imposed.