Short-term
2026–2028 — Impacts already visible or imminent
Digital Divide & Stratification: Shortterm (20262028) Current State The AI divide has emerged as the defining inequality of the mid2020s, operating simultaneously at multiple scales between individuals, within countries, and across the global NorthSouth axis. Unlike previous technolog...
Medium-term
2028–2033 — Transformations underway, accelerating
Digital Divide & Stratification: Mediumterm (20282033) Current State By 2028, the AI divide has matured from a nascent gap into a structurally entrenched stratification system. The initial wave of generative AI adoption (20232027) created clear winners and losers, and the mediumterm peri...
Long-term
2033–2046 — Projected scenarios, structural shifts
Digital Divide & Stratification: Longterm (20332046) Current State The longterm horizon for AI stratification is defined by a fundamental question: does AI ultimately flatten or harden the global hierarchy? By 2033, the initial disruption phase has passed. The infrastructure is built (or ...