Artificial intelligence will become a vital resource for achieving sustainable development goals

In a speech during the main debate on AI for Humans: Helping People. Uniting Countries during the AI Journey international conference, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin stressed that in the last year alone artificial intelligence has transformed the face of entire sectors, including the creative industries, while Herman Gref, Sberbank CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board, noted that virtually all tech companies in Russia are investing in education, creating platforms for professional training, schoolchildren and students.

Given the high level of interest in the subject, Sber has produced a second season of its science education videocast AI4PLANET for AI Journey, on the role of artificial intelligence in creating new professions and transforming existing ones. Top scientists and experts discussed how rapid digitalisation and the growing accessibility of AI are impacting our daily lives and changing the world of professions and skills, what new skills will be required by the specialist of the future, and whether scientists and researchers need to start learning data science skills right now.

Tatyana Lipskaya, Senior Vice President for ESG at Sberbank, noted that AI solutions are already being actively applied in all areas of sustainable development. She said that according to the experts, by 2027 the world will need over 2.5m specialists in AI and machine learning (ML), Big Data, and information security, as well as data engineers. Sber is focusing on developing digital solutions, including using AI, which would work for the benefit of mankind and society, Lipskaya added.


International speakers in the conference’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) track spoke about the synergy between AI and sustainable development, which is essential for achieving sustainable development goals at the global and country levels, as well as at the level of business and individual companies.
For example, Janet Sawari, CEO of TAIR Labs, announced that investment in ESG in 2026 is predicted to reach around $39.9 trillion with over 20% of assets under management being ESG assets. In her view, the application of AI technologies, for example in wind energy, building climate models, and monitoring companies’ carbon footprints, is helping to move businesses forward and bringing benefits for the consumer. “AI can take on data analytics, but human beings have to apply empathy”, she believes. In addition, according to Sawari, some ESG data are not logically interconnected, but AI can help to remove these gaps and the cognitive distortions caused by certain prejudices.

Speaking on the role of the social factor, Karuna Gopal, president of India’s Foundation for Futuristic Cities Foundation, noted that around 20% of the world’s population—or 1.9 billion people—are neurodivergent, which often prevents them from finding a job. “Up to 40% of neurodivergent people cannot find work, as they often have difficulties with interpersonal communication, though they also have unique skills, such as analytical thinking, strong memory and creativity, hyperfocus, and detailed processing of visual images,” she said.

“AI technologies are helping to recruit, onboard, and engage such employees in work processes,” she added. Gopal is convinced that amid global trends including falling birthrates and shortages of qualified specialists, bringing up to 1.9 bn people into the workforce with the help of advanced AI tools could positively transform the market.

In his speech, Tapiwa Chiwewe, Founder and Managing Director of the Omnien digital platform, observed, “ESG is not just about charity or striving to change the world. It’s about productivity and achieving business goals, as well as correctly assessing business risks”. In his opinion, AI technologies can help to collect and analyze data, which can be used to shape a narrative based on which a company can make decisions. At the same time, Chiwewe said that using AI technologies to address sustainable development issues can fundamentally change the way business works. “AI is like IT in the past: you have to learn to understand it. AI will impact every profession, industry, and sector”, he believes.