On January 28, a unique online event took place, presenting for the first time two independent studies on the topic “The AI Era: How the World Will Change by 2028?” conducted simultaneously using different methodologies:
- A traditional analysis by the experts at the Ukrainian Institute for the Future (prepared over two weeks).
- An AI-generated analytical report by Volodymyr Bandura’s team, produced within a single day.
Even if your field has little to do with IT, artificial intelligence is already shaping the work of many professionals, from copywriters to orthodontists. Society is divided into two camps: those who actively embrace AI’s advantages and staunch opponents who long for the “good old days” and foresee a dystopian future ruled by machines. Regardless of where you stand, it is undeniable that AI is becoming deeply integrated into our daily lives—a trend that will only continue to expand.
Key Topics of the Panel Discussion:
- Is there life after artificial intelligence?
- How will everyday life transform under AI’s influence?
- Which industries will experience the most significant changes?
- AI: Humanity’s ally or adversary?
Expert Panel:
- Volodymyr Bandura, CEO of Innolytics Group – presented the AI-generated study.
- Andrii Dligach, CEO of Advanter Group – analyzed business process transformations.
- Anatolii Amelin – moderated the discussion and summarized key findings.
- Yevhenii Astakhov, an economist at UIF – presented the traditional research.
Do different research methods lead to completely different results? The presentation of this comparative experiment was full of surprises, as both teams conducted their studies independently without sharing their findings.
Findings from UIF’s Research
The first speaker, Yevhenii Astakhov, stepped onto the virtual stage to present the findings of UIF’s research. Surprisingly, AI is now trusted more than humans. According to a 2023 University of Queensland report (Australia), 50% of women and 49% of men trust AI, compared to only 30% who trusted human decision-making in 2022.
While many people associate AI primarily with GPT-4, UIF’s economist emphasized: “AI is much more than chatbots and generative models.”
UIF’s Research Identified Five AI Categories:
- Machine Learning Models
- Deep Learning Models
- Probabilistic Graphical Models
- Reinforcement Learning Models
- Generative Models
Generative models, while among the most powerful, are also the most data-intensive and expensive to train. For example, training GPT-3 cost over $4 million, GPT-4 required $78 million, and by the end of 2023, Gemini Ultra had the highest training cost, exceeding $190 million.
The U.S. dominates logical chip design, while Taiwan leads in semiconductor manufacturing, significantly impacting the global economy and labor market.
AI’s Impact on the Labor Market
According to IMF studies, approximately 40% of jobs worldwide are in industries with a high degree of AI influence. In advanced economies, this figure rises to 60%, with women more likely to work in AI-affected professions than men.
AI is also deepening inequality in access to high-paying jobs. High-income professionals benefit the most due to AI’s strong complementarity with their roles. Meanwhile, low-income workers in developing countries are particularly vulnerable, as their professions are often more susceptible to automation rather than augmentation by AI.
To mitigate these risks, emerging economies must develop infrastructure and training programs to enhance workforce adaptability and increase access to AI-enhanced professions.
Impact on the Global Economy
China is set to experience the most significant impact as the world’s leading manufacturer with an economy heavily reliant on industrial processes highly susceptible to automation. Since 2012, China has held the top position in AI-related patents, enabling rapid AI adoption and significantly boosting labor productivity.
The United States closely follows, ranking second both in AI-driven economic impact and in the number of AI patents.
Industry Susceptibility to AI Disruption
“The key drivers of short-term AI-driven change are the healthcare sector and the automotive industry. Meanwhile, finance remains the most mature AI-integrated sector,” stated Yevhenii Astakhov.
Energy and industrial sectors require faster AI implementation, demanding higher investment levels for automation and efficiency gains.
What to Expect in the Next Three Years?
The Threat of Digital Colonialism
AI development follows a “two-speed model”—in developed countries, AI enhances existing advantages, widening the gap with emerging economies. This could create a new form of global inequality, where AI in developing nations displaces jobs without proportionally creating new opportunities.
The Risk of Global AI Monopolies
Despite the decentralized nature of digital technologies, AI development remains highly centralized, with the U.S. and China serving as the primary innovation hubs. Control over digital infrastructure is concentrated among a small group of key players, increasing the risk of technological monopolization.
A Paradigm Shift in Human Capital Valuation
The traditional advantage of developing countries—cheap labor—is losing value. Instead, AI literacy and adaptability are becoming the key factors for economic competitiveness. This demands a fundamental overhaul of education systems and workforce retraining programs.
The “Middle-Income Technological Trap”
According to UIF experts, middle-income countries face a unique challenge—caught between low-cost manual labor markets and high-tech industries. They struggle to compete with lower-wage economies on cost while also failing to rival developed nations in innovation. This could lead to a new global economic structure, where economies are divided into a technological core and a periphery.
The “Delayed Transformation” Phenomenon in Traditional Industries
Despite AI’s transformative potential, energy and industrial sectors have been slow to adopt it. These industries hold vast efficiency improvement opportunities, suggesting that AI’s “second wave of impact” may occur once service sectors reach saturation.
Findings from the AI-Driven Independent Presentation by CEO Experts
Following Yevhenii Astakhov’s presentation, Volodymyr Bandura took the virtual stage to present a report generated using AI. According to Bandura, “AI today represents incredibly powerful systems, and science must embrace them. Ignoring these tools would render us uncompetitive.”
How Does This Play Out in Reality?
AI significantly enhances human capacity for solving complex intellectual challenges.
“Artificial intelligence is like an exoskeleton,” Bandura emphasized. “To produce original and valuable results, you must provide AI with meaningful input. It excels at scenario modeling, enabling us to shape the future rather than simply predict it.”
The in-depth report provided insights into:
- The brief history of current language model architectures.
- The technical roadmap and key AI milestones leading up to 2027.
- The practical implementation of AI advancements in societal structures.
- Philosophical debates, including “Can AI develop consciousness, and what does that mean for humanity?”
The report will be available for download and public discussion. As AI currently performs best in English-language reasoning, the report is published in both Ukrainian and English.
“We modeled a ‘maximalist scenario’—one where AI reaches its full potential in the coming years and fundamentally reshapes both society and the economy,” said the CEO of Innolytics Group.
According to Bandura, humans possess unique cognitive abilities and a deeper connection to reality that AI cannot replicate. There will always be roles requiring human execution. However, AI will enhance human capabilities rather than replace them.
Finally, the expert warned that AI’s rapid advancement brings substantial risks, as it can be controlled by a limited number of individuals, leading to unprecedented power imbalances between those who govern AI systems and those who do not.
Andrii Dligach summarized the key trends we can expect in the near future:
- The West is losing ground to China due to its complacency. Mathematical advancements enable faster progress in AI models compared to generative AI improvements.
- The rapid development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) is expected by 2025–2026. AGI serves as an intermediate stage between current large language models and superintelligence, allowing AI to perform tasks at a human level. However, regarding superintelligence that can impact the physical world, the expert remains skeptical.
- AI is evolving much faster than people initially anticipated.
The expert also addressed the legitimate concerns raised by his colleagues about the potential risks of AI’s rapid advancement: “If we, as humans, do not continue learning and developing our own cognitive models and adaptability, we risk losing not only control over AI’s progress but also the future of humanity itself.”
Final Open Discussion
The event concluded with an open discussion, where the moderator, Anatolii Amelin, a member of the UIF team, read comments from the live chat. He noted that many participants compared AI’s impact to the Industrial Revolution: “Back then, protests erupted as people lost jobs, but eventually, new opportunities emerged. With artificial intelligence, we are witnessing a similar pattern.”
Experts guided the audience through key questions, including which research methodologies are most effective, which economic sectors and professions will thrive over the next 3–5 years, and the potential risks of integrating quantum computing with AI.
Despite differences in methodology and preparation time, both studies revealed critical insights into future transformations:
- The principles behind modern AI and its potential
- Impact on the economy and labor market
- The transformation of the education sector
- Ethical challenges and security concerns
The comparison of results not only illustrated potential scenarios for the world’s evolution under AI influence but also provided concrete proof of AI’s analytical capabilities.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this important discussion! To explore the topic further, we invite you to watch the recording of the live stream on the UIF YouTube channel. Just one hour of viewing will enhance your understanding of AI-era challenges and offer insights into leveraging its potential for strategic growth and competitive advantage. Subscribe to the channel and share your thoughts in the comments to stay ahead in our digitalized world!
