Human development progress is
experiencing an unprecedented slowdown, but Artificial
Intelligence (AI) could reignite it, according to the United
Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) latest Human Development
Report.
The 2025 report, which focuses on the possibilities of the AI
age, analyses development progress across a range of indicators
known as the Human Development Index (HDI), which encompasses
achievements in health and education, along with levels of
income.
The UNDP said projections for 2024 reveal stalled progress on
the HDI in all the world's regions.
Excluding the years of crisis sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic,
the report reveals a meagre rise in global human development,
the smallest increase since 1990.
"If 2024's sluggish progress becomes 'the new normal', that 2030
milestone could slip by decades - making our world less secure,
more divided, and more vulnerable to economic and ecological
shocks," said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.
Aside from the alarming rate of deceleration in global
development, the report also finds widening inequalities between
rich and poor countries for the fourth year in a row, as
traditional paths to development are squeezed by increasing
trade tensions, a worsening debt crisis and the rise of jobless
industrialization.
"Amidst this global turmoil, we must urgently explore new ways
to drive development," Steiner said, highlighting Artificial
Intelligence's potential.
"While AI is no panacea, the choices we make hold the potential
to reignite human development and open new pathways and
possibilities."
Opening the presentation of the report in Brussels, European
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said AI could be "a
gift to humanity".
"This important report shows that the future is in our hands,"
she continued.
"The choices we make now will shape our tomorrow.
"With the right choices, we can open new paths to help everyone
thrive in an AI world," von der Leyen added, highlighting
European initiatives to reduce the digital divide with the
Global South, including the AI ;;Hub for Sustainable
Development, "a key initiative led by Italy, the G7 and UNDP
with a strong focus on Africa."
The report contains the results of a new survey that showed
people are realistic yet hopeful about the change AI can bring.
Half of respondents worldwide think that their jobs could be
automated. An even larger share, six out of 10, expect AI to
impact their employment positively, creating opportunities in
jobs that may not exist today.
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