The more autonomy AI gains, the more important human control becomes. AI has stopped waiting for instructions – are we ready for a new era? Economic development
Artificial intelligence today means different things to different people: for some it is a powerful tool for solving global problems, for others it is a source of threats to jobs and privacy, as well as a lack of trust in information on the Internet. In practice, the impact of AI is much more complex and significant.
The second edition of the report, prepared by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Deloitte, shows that AI technologies are rapidly moving from experimental projects to wide and varied applications in the real world.
While public attention has focused on generative models that produce text, images or code, deeper changes are occurring in the field of autonomous AI agents that can plan tasks, make decisions and coordinate actions with minimal human intervention. Such systems are already used in healthcare, logistics, finance and public administration, integrating into work processes and interacting with each other. But the more autonomy AI gains, the more important human control becomes – and it must be carefully thought out, the report’s authors are convinced.
Areas of application of AI
The report says that AI is already delivering tangible results in key sectors. In education, adaptive systems tailor learning material to a specific student, and in regions with teacher shortages, digital tools expand access to quality learning.
In medicine, AI helps detect diseases at an early stage, improves diagnostic accuracy and speeds up drug development, and virtual assistants improve access to services in remote areas.
In the climate and ecology space, artificial intelligence monitors environmental changes, optimizes energy systems and warns of extreme weather events, helping countries adapt to climate risks.
In city management, AI contributes to the optimization of the transport system, timely response to emergency situations and effective modeling of infrastructure solutions. In agriculture, precision technologies enable more efficient use of resources and help farmers cope with climate variability and market uncertainty.
Increased risks
However, along with the opportunities, the risks also grow. According to the World Economic Forum, by 2030, the transformation could affect about 91 million existing jobs, while 170 million new ones could be created – a global net gain of 79 million. At the same time, employers expect almost 40 percent of key skills to change, creating unprecedented pressure on education systems and the labor market.
Environmental impacts are also becoming more noticeable: in 2024, data centers consumed approximately 1.5 percent of global electricity production – a figure that could double by 2030. A single large data center can use as much energy as 100,000 households, making infrastructure resilience critical.
Digital sovereignty
To cope with the challenges, the institutions responsible for regulating AI must develop without lagging behind the technologies themselves, the authors note report. Governments around the world are pursuing digital sovereignty by investing in their own computing power and technology components. New initiatives in this area view AI as a strategic resource comparable in importance to energy systems, and decisions about its development are becoming a matter of public policy.
The report’s authors emphasize: AI does not automatically bring benefits. Its impact on society depends on how equitably access to technology is distributed and how responsibly it is used. To avoid fragmentation and inequality, greater coordination is needed between states, businesses, academia and civil society organizations.