The 2025 Global Human Development Report delivers a sobering message: the world is experiencing an unprecedented slowdown in human development, with traditional pathways to progress, now being stalled.
This stagnation comes on the cusp of an artificial intelligence revolution, dubbed the "new electricity" for the sheer breadth of its potential. Will Thailand seize the opportunity of an AI-powered renaissance, or slip towards a future of AI-deepened inequality?
Thailand has been in relative strength, ranking 76th out of 193 countries in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)'s annual Human Development Index. Its HDI value of 0.798 places the kingdom in the "High Human Development" category.
In terms of the country's commitment to sustainability, on the measurement called the Planetary Pressures-Adjusted HDI, Thailand scores 0.726. This is the highest in Asean, and only slightly behind Japan and South Korea. Thailand also stands out on gender metrics: the HDI for women (0.807) is higher than for men (0.798), a rare HDI trend globally. Women in Thailand outperform men in life expectancy and expected years of schooling, though income and education gaps remain.
Thailand's progress, however, is eclipsed by persistent inequality. Thailand's HDI score loses a stark 15% of its value when inequality is taken into consideration. The wealthiest 1% of deposit account holders in Thailand control nearly two-thirds of bank deposits. The top 5% of landowners hold 80% of all land. These statistics are compounded by an education gap. While students are expected to spend over 15 years in school, on average, the actual number of years is closer to nine, with many students exiting the system early due to economic hardship or other challenges.
AI could help reduce the education inequality in Thailand by offering flexible pathways for learning and skill development. Re-imagining education is just one example of how AI could reshape societies, just as the invention of the wheel, the light bulb, GPS, vaccines and the smartphone have done before. This year's Human Development Report from UNDP examines what distinguishes this new era of AI from previous transformations, including digital transformations, and what those differences could mean for human development.
UNDP advocates a "People First" approach. We call on countries to create the conditions for AI to serve everyone, especially marginalised groups.
For this to work, the metrics for AI's success in Thailand must extend beyond economic efficiency or GDP growth; the country's AI policies must feature inclusivity, equitable access and citizens' well-being. The National Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Policy Council sees AI as pivotal for national competitiveness and sustainable growth.
The Thai government, through initiatives like the prime minister-chaired National AI Committee and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation's plans to establish Thailand as an AI hub in Asean, clearly signal its commitment to leveraging AI for national competitiveness and advancement.
AI presents Thailand with both opportunities and risks. AI can act as a "force multiplier", augmenting human capabilities in health and education and fostering a "complementarity economy" in which humans and AI work together, or significant risks could turn AI into a source of division.
The digital divide remains stark in the country. With very low internet use among Thais aged 76 and above, Thailand's ageing society might be excluded from AI-driven services. The "cultural distance" of AI presents a significant challenge: AI models trained on Western data are not culturally neutral and may offer misaligned solutions for Thailand. Gender biases could become an obstacle as women make up only a third of Stem graduates in Thailand, and the creators of AI are predominantly male. Thailand also has an innovation gap and priority. For example, assistive technologies tend to cater to commercial consumption rather than Thailand's ageing population and people with disabilities.
To counter these risks, Thailand should not just adopt AI; the country should author it.
The future of AI in Thailand depends on the choices we make. The UNDP 2025 Human Development Report: Whose Tech? Our Choices places this responsibility squarely on this generation -- on us. Thailand can steer AI to be the next great accelerant of shared prosperity by following three rules of thumb:
1. Build a complimentary economy: The country's AI policy must help workers, not replace them. This requires immediate investment in mass re-skilling and up-skilling programmes through a united front.
2. Guide innovation with real intent: The country must create AI that can be used in Thai and other relevant languages. The policy must also prioritise assistive technologies.
3. Invest in human capacity: An AI-ready nation needs an AI-ready population. This starts with closing the gap between expected and actual years of schooling and cultivating digital literacy, creativity and critical thinking across society. It means closing the Stem gender gap and the digital divide for the elderly and marginalised through an all-of-society effort.
AI is a development wildcard. Whether it can be successful for Thailand, as for the rest of the world, depends less on what AI can do and more on the power of our collective imagination to make the most of it.
Niamh Collier is UNDP Resident Representative in Thailand. Surachai Sathitkunarat, PhD, is President of the Office of the National Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Policy Council.