Nearly half of students and a quarter of working people worldwide use AI-powered applications more than once a week, primarily for education and work according to the recently released UNDP Human Development Report 2025.

The UNDP Human Development Report is a flagship publication of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that provides a comprehensive overview of global human development trends and challenges. First published in 1990, it introduced the concept of Human Development, which goes beyond economic growth to focus on improving people’s well-being, capabilities, and freedoms.

The report highlights insights into AI related trends such as use, dependency, upskilling and related job prospects found that in contrast, only 15 percent of non working people and nine percent of retired individuals do so, mostly for entertainment and health.

These differences in frequency and purpose of use shape the ways in which AI affects people’s lives.

The report also indicates India’s progression towards AI integration and retention of talent as compared to high income countries.

“The relationship between countries is not just competitive or confrontational. Governments can be partners, regulators and competitors, sometimes simultaneously and in different ways. India plans to set up a common compute facility to support AI development,108 including researchers and startups. India has also made progress in retaining talent: 20 percent of its AI researchers now stay domestically (up from near zero in 2019),” the report states.

India leads globally in AI skills and tech talent. It has the highest self-reported AI skill prevalence in the world and employs over five million software developers — comparable to the population of Ireland — with growing demand. India is also the only low-or middle-income country in the top 10 of the AI Metrix rankings, which assess investment, innovation, and implementation in AI.

Despite these strengths, gaps in computing, data, and institutional support are causing a net loss of skilled workers to higher-income countries, the report indicates.

Other highlights of India

Expected Years of Schooling (EYS): Increased from 11.9 years in 2021 to 12.6 years in 2022, marking an 18-place improvement in global rankings.

Mean Years of Schooling: Rose to 6.57 years, reflecting a 3.8-year increase since 1990.

Life Expectancy: Improved slightly from 67.2 years in 2021 to 67.7 years in 2022.

Gross National Income (GNI) per Capita: Increased from $6,542 in 2021 to $6,951 in 2022

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