Who is your friend, foe or ally?

Bicycles revolutionized the way we move, and now AI is doing the same to the way we communicate and connect. AI is everywhere, operating silently in the familiar apps we use every day.

From movie recommendations on streaming platforms, navigation apps that help you avoid traffic jams, to tools that help doctors diagnose diseases, AI is changing the way we work, live, and interact. Its influence is ever-expanding, opening up unprecedented possibilities but also posing many challenges.

The AI ​​Index 2025 report published by the Artificial Intelligence Institute of Stanford University (USA) provides a comprehensive view of the rapid development and far-reaching influence of AI globally.

This report synthesizes data from hundreds of sources, analyzing prominent trends in AI-related research, applications, investments, and policies, thereby painting a comprehensive picture of how this technology is reshaping many areas of life, economy, and society.

AI is everywhere and getting smarter

We need to be clear about the pace of development and the increasing penetration of AI. In just one year, AI has advanced by leaps and bounds, from struggling with complex math and thinking problems to being able to solve graduate-level coding and scientific problems.

AI performance on skill tests like the SWE-bench, a benchmark designed to test the ability of AI models to solve real-world bugs in software, has made incredible strides.

Accordingly, in 2023, AI solved only 4% of these errors. But by 2024, it solved nearly 72%, an extremely large jump in technical capacity.

And these advances are no longer confined to the lab. AI is becoming a part of everyday life. In 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 223 AI-based medical devices, compared to just six in 2015.

In many major cities around the world, people can now easily call self-driving taxis from names like Waymo in the US or Baidu in China.

Global investment in AI is also set to reach an unprecedented scale, reaching $252.3 billion in 2024, a figure roughly equivalent to Portugal's entire GDP in 2023 (around $289 billion).

To put that in perspective, the investment is 10 times larger than NASA's 2023 fiscal year budget ($25.4 billion), and far exceeds the decade-long total cost of building the International Space Station.

Businesses are also rushing into the game, with 78% of companies adopting AI in 2024, up from 55% just a year earlier. The US still holds the lead in developing the most advanced AI models, but China is rapidly closing the gap, with its leading models now approaching the quality of American rivals on key tests.

For consumers, the good news is that AI is becoming cheaper and more accessible. In just two years, the cost of many AI tasks has fallen more than 280-fold. Governments have also begun to invest heavily and draft legal frameworks to regulate the AI ​​boom.

The positive side of AI, supporting people and society

While the visions of AI often attract a lot of attention, the reality is that AI is already bringing tangible benefits to people and society, especially when it is combined with human skills and oriented for the public good.

One of the biggest advantages of AI is its ability to improve productivity. Many studies show that AI tools help employees get more done, especially when assisting less experienced workers, thereby narrowing the skill gap in the workplace.

Think of AI as an “intelligent assistant,” handling repetitive tasks, leaving humans to focus more on jobs that require creativity and complex thinking.

Beyond individual benefits, AI also promises to address major societal challenges. “AI for Society” initiatives are leveraging the technology to serve the common good, from monitoring climate change, managing water resources more efficiently, expanding access to healthcare in remote areas, to personalizing learning experiences for students.

AI is also making leaps and bounds in science and medicine. Tools like AlphaFold3 are helping scientists better understand protein structures, accelerating the development of new drugs at unprecedented speeds, many of which have reached Nobel Prize levels.

AI is even outperforming human doctors in some specialized tasks, such as detecting cancer in medical images. In addition, AI tools are also helping doctors reduce administrative burdens and limit paperwork burnout.

However, public views on AI remain divided. According to the AI ​​2025 Index, more than half (55%) of people globally believe that AI currently brings more benefits than disadvantages, which shows cautious optimism.

But the picture is less rosy when it comes to the long-term outlook, especially in places like the US. A recent Pew Research Center survey in April 2025 found that only 17% of US adults believe AI will have a positive impact on the country over the next 20 years, while more than 50% expressed more concern than enthusiasm.

This difference shows how views on AI can vary depending on geography and whether one is evaluating current achievements or long-term future impacts.

Humans must accept facing the difficulties and pitfalls created by AI.

To appreciate the benefits that AI brings, we must also accept its downsides and risks.

Building trust in AI is a huge challenge, especially as many people are concerned about how companies use personal data and the risks associated with bias in AI systems.

Even AIs designed to be neutral can unintentionally pick up and reproduce racial or gender biases from their training data.

Misinformation is a significant concern. AI can easily create fake images, videos or audio (deepfakes), creating opportunities to spread misinformation, especially during elections or for the purpose of harassing individuals.

We're also seeing more reports of AI failures, like facial recognition fueling false accusations or chatbots giving harmful advice.

Additionally, data collection and usage also becomes an issue, as many websites begin to block access, reducing the effectiveness of AI in the future.

Despite significant progress, AI still has many limitations. It still struggles to solve complex reasoning problems that require common sense or long-term planning.

Training powerful AI models requires a huge amount of energy, which contributes to carbon emissions. While AI has already helped many workers, concerns about automating jobs are unavoidable. Embracing AI means confronting these complex issues honestly and squarely.

Ensuring the future of AI is trustworthy and human rights compatible

Ultimately, we need to answer the question of who is responsible for guiding the development and use of AI. While efforts to develop AI responsibly are growing, we still have a long way to go.

While there has been progress in testing AI for safety and fairness, this is still not the norm for all major AI developers.

Governments are becoming more proactive, investing in AI technology and enacting regulations. Countries are beginning to collaborate more on AI safety, establishing international groups and agreements focused on making AI trustworthy and human rights-compliant.

But companies often talk more about responsible AI than they do about implementing truly robust safeguards. You might remember the AI ​​moratorium that more than 1,000 tech leaders, researchers, and others signed in March 2023, but few actually followed through.

We need more transparency in how AI systems are built and trained. Each of us, from developers, businesses, governments to citizens, has a role to play.

Education is key. We need to make sure everyone understands AI, but the awareness gap is still huge.

For example, in the US, although 81% of computer science teachers think AI should be taught in schools, less than half (just 46% of high school computer science teachers) feel ready to teach AI.

Closing this gap is crucial to building a future where everyone can navigate and help shape the AI ​​world. And in this context, we also need to remember that billions of people around the world have never had access to ChatGPT, not because of lack of interest, but because they struggle with basic issues like clean water, nutritious food, or internet connectivity.

In short, the AI ​​Index 2025 marks a solid start in understanding the ever-changing landscape of AI technology. By remaining aware, appreciating the positives, facing the challenges, and being responsible to ourselves and the community, we can contribute to building an AI future that is fair and inclusive for all.