The Role of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in Overcoming the Economic Challenges of the 21st Century
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37075/RP.2026.3.07Keywords:
Globalization, Technological change, Labor, GrowthAbstract
Тhe potential of artificial intelligence to help overcome economic challenges across various industries has become increasingly relevant in recent years and empirical researches from individual companies are growing. The concept of digitalizing businesses and national economies acquired new meaning after the rise of AI in 2022, although digitalization has existed for decades, its practical importance is being rediscovered and set to become increasingly widespread. The emergence of rapidly expanding and novel drives of innovation for business and the economy calls for reexamination of macroeconomic policies traditionally used and consideration of their adaption to the needs of a dynamically developing world, with the goal of preserving competitiveness at sectoral and national levels and capturing economic, social and environmental benefits.References
Buddhi, D., Singh, R., & Gehlot, A. (2024). Industry 5.0: Bridging Humanity and Technology for a Sustainable Future. Wisdom Leaf Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55938/wlp.v1i6.192
Goldman Sachs (2025). China's AI Development Could Speed Up AI Adoption. URL: https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/chinas-ai-development-could-speed-up-ai-adoption (accessed 2026-03-20)
EIB (2023). EIB Investment Report 2022/2023 Resilience and renewal in Europe. EIB. URL: https://www.eib.org/en/publications/20220211-investment-report-2022 (accessed 2026-03-20)
KPMG (2019). 2019 Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index. URL: https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/xx/pdf/2019/02/2019-autonomous-vehicles-readiness-index.pdf (accessed 2026-03-20)
Florido-Benitez, L. & del Alcazar, B. (2024). The Disruptive Use of Artificial Intelligence Will Considerably Enhance the Tourism and Air Industries. Electronics, 14(1), 16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14010016
KPMG (2020). 2020 Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index. URL: https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/xx/pdf/2020/07/2020-autonomous-vehicles-readiness-index.pdf (accessed 2026-03-20)
Horowitz, M. C. (2018). Artificial Intelligence, International Competition and the Balance of Power. Texas National Security Review, 1(3). DOI: https://doi.org/10.15781/t2639kp49
Rugge, F. (2019). The Global Race for Technological Superiority. ISPI Brookings. URL: https://www.esteri.it/mae/resource/doc/2020/03/ispi_supremazia_tecnologica.pdf (accessed 2025-11-20)
Kosuru, V. S. R. & Ka, A. (2023). Advancements and Challenges in Achieving Fully Autonomous Self-Driving Vehicles. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 18(01), 161-167. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2023.18.1.0568
SAE International (2016). SAE J3016 Levels of Driving Automation. URL: https://brxcontent.fullsight.org/site/binaries/content/assets/sae-org/content/news/blog/sae-j3016-visual-chart_5.3.21.pdf (accessed 2025-11-20)
Lu, G. & Li, B. (2025). Artificial Intelligence and Green Collaborative Innovation: An Empirical Investigation Based on a High-Dimensional Fixed Effects Model. Sustainability, 17(9), 4141. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su17094141
Tenet Consult (2025). Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Ranking 2025. URL: https://assets.tenetcons.com/pdf/autonomous-vehicles-readiness-ranking-2025.pdf (accessed 2026-03-20)
Madan, R. & Ashok, M. (2022). Public Values Perspective on the Application of Artificial Intelligence in Government Practices: A Synthesis of Case Studies. Advances in Electronic Government, Digital Divide, and Regional Development and Handbook of Research on Artificial Intelligence in Government Practices and Processes. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-9609-8.ch010
World Economic Forum (2025). Blueprint for Intelligent Economies: AI Competitiveness through Regional Collaboration. URL: https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_A_Blueprint_for_Intelligent_Economies_2025.pdf (accessed 2026-03-20)
World Economic Forum (2025). Intelligent Transport, Greener Future: AI as a Catalyst to Decarbonize Global Logistics. URL: https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Intelligent_Transport_Greener_Future_2025.pdf (accessed 2026-03-20)
World Economic Forum (2024). Integrating Autonomous Mobility into the Transport System: A Saudi Arabian Case Study. URL: https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Integrating_Autonomous_Mobility_into_the_Transport_System_2024.pdf (accessed 2026-03-20)
National Statistical Institute (2024). Companies that use Artificial Intelligence Technologies. URL: https://www.nsi.bg/statistical-data/312/895 (accessed 2025-11-20)
European Commission (2024). The Future of European Competitiveness. URL: https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/ec1409c1-d4b4-4882-8bdd-3519f86bbb92_en?filename=The+future+of+European+competitiveness+_In-depth+analysis+and+recommendations_0.pdf (accessed 2026-03-20)
European Commission (2024). DESI Indicators. URL: https://digital-decade-desi.digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/datasets/desi/charts/desi-indicators (accessed 2026-03-20)
Eurostat (2025). Use of Artificial Intelligence in Enterprises. Eurostat. URL: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Use_of_artificial_intelligence_in_enterprises (accessed 2025-11-20)
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Stela Tuparova (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright to their works.
All publications are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
