The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has said that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) will help to improve the human development index, which is slowing down after the Covid epidemic. According to a recent report by UNDP, the estimated human development growth rate this year is the lowest since 1990.

In the human development report 'A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of Artificial Intelligence' published by UNDP, AI has been compared to electrical energy and considered to be one of the latest most important aspects of human lifestyle. It is mentioned in the report that even after the global crisis like the Covid epidemic has come out to some extent, the expected improvement in human progress has not been seen. According to the

report, citizens around the world are optimistic about AI. In a survey conducted among more than 21,000 people in 21 countries, including Nepal, 50 percent of the participants said that their jobs are likely to be automated by AI. More than that, 60 percent are positive about AI and hope it will create new job opportunities. They expect jobs that do not exist now to be created in the future. Only 13 percent in the survey expressed fear of job losses due to AI.

70 percent of respondents from countries with low and medium human development indices believe that AI will be important in enhancing their performance. About two-thirds responded that they plan to use AI in education, health, and employment within the next year. According to the report, India currently has the largest population with AI skills in the world. "Skilled manpower from places with problems such as data, computing infrastructure and institutional support and weak infrastructure are migrating to high-income countries," the report said. 

India plans to build computing facilities to support AI researchers and startups In addition, the report points out that farmers in India are using AI to get information and assistance regarding insurance and subsidies in the local language. 

Even though progress is being made towards a very high human development goal by 2030, the current slow pace is creating a challenge to global progress, said Achim Steiner, administrator of UNDP. "If this slow progress of 2024 remains the same, it will take decades to achieve the goal of 2030," he said, "it will make the world more insecure, divided and susceptible to economic and ecological crises." He believes that new ways should be found to advance human development and it may include AI.