Since the advent of large language models (LLM) and the first version of ChatGPT, artificial intelligence (AI) has experienced a period of unprecedented development, accompanied by both enthusiasm and concern. On the one hand, it promises new levels of productivity, innovation, and well-being; on the other, it raises ethical, environmental, and cognitive questions about the role of humans and the limits of their control.
In this context, AI is establishing itself as a cultural and institutional phenomenon, rather than a simple technical tool. It can be defined as an “institutional innovation” with the ability to create new ways of coordinating knowledge, work, and decision-making, comparable – in terms of historical and transformative impact – to the division of labor.
Examples such as the post-war reconstruction in Azerbaijan, where AI is being used to create Smart Villages that combine planning and predictive intelligence, provide a concrete demonstration of the transformative power of this technology: it designs not just infrastructure but also relationships, by influencing mindsets and behaviors.
The real test, however, remains the comparison between the power of AI and the beauty of the human person, understood as a measure of the limits and principles of balance. Artificial intelligence is an “open prompt”: a question about human evolution rather than an answer about the progress of the machine. It can expand thinking, while making it deeper and more curious, but only if guided by an informed vision and shared ethical principles.
The central question, therefore, is no longer what AI can do, but what we want to do with it. In the industrial field, artificial intelligence is being seen as a pervasive infrastructure destined to be integrated into every business and institution. New intelligent agents will be able to observe, reason, and act, collaborating with humans in experimentation and scientific discovery.
At the same time, new risks are emerging. Data interoperability is the most sensitive frontier: the wholesale integration of health, financial, and behavioral information threatens privacy and reduces the complexity of human beings to predictable patterns.
On a social level, new divisions are emerging. Younger generations, who have grown up in a digital world, tend to recognize AI as a source of identity and connection. This search for meaning through technology reveals the need for an educational framework with the ability to restore autonomy, critical thinking, and awareness.
Meanwhile, on the geopolitical front, the sector is heading for significant industrial concentration. Investments in data centers and computing capacity – exceeding $450 billion in the United States alone – favor a few large global players. New questions about control, responsibility, and governance are being raised.
In conclusion, AI marks the beginning of a new evolutionary phase for the species and is opening up post-human scenarios. It should be neither feared nor idealized, but governed with ethics and wisdom. The challenge lies in building a mutualistic relationship between humans and machines, in which technology does not reduce freedom but expands it. One in which people remain at the center of knowledge and decision-making.