AI Increasing Productivity In Sectors But Poses Risks: Ian Bremmer To NDTV

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is dominating the world and increasing productivity in every sector, but it comes with risks that could directly affect people, Ian Bremmer, founder and president of Eurasia Group, has said.

Speaking to NDTV's Editor-in-Chief Rahul Kanwal, Bremmer describes AI as a revolutionary force, which is boosting productivity across sectors and giving a chance to meet long-missed Sustainable Development Goals. But alongside this, he warns of a growing risk he has headlined as "AI eats its users."

"We're huge believers in AI as a revolutionary technology that is increasing productivity in every sector it's leading to great inventions. It is improving productivity, and it is allowing the humans to have a shot of hitting sustainable development goals that we've been failing on," Bremmer said.

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He explained that while AI is delivering groundbreaking innovations, the valuations of some major American AI companies are extremely high, with trillions of dollars being invested. Investors expect returns, and to meet these expectations, AI is being commercialised rapidly.

"So these are hugely important things, but the valuations of some key American AI companies are incredibly high. The money that is being spent is in the trillions and those investors want a return and to get a return they are going to need to start commercializing that AI," he added.

Bremmer cautioned that AI tools are directly interacting with users without proper testing or regulation. "That is dangerous how it programs people, it dangerous how it befriends people without being a real person," he said.

He also mentioned that AI can influence people's behaviour, shape opinions and even create emotional connections with users. Bremmer cited real-world consequences, noting that in some cases, AI interactions have been linked to suicides, disinformation or political radicalisation.

"AI is being injected into the fabric of society without testing it first and that is dangerous how it programs people, it dangerous how it befriends people without being a real person. We have already seen suicides as the consequence, we see more disinformation or radicalisation," he added.

He further said that if the AI boom slows or investors push for faster profits, then those who will most likely to be affected will be the users and consumers.

"We think that absent any effective governance regulation of coordination on AI space because everyone is racing and racing. They take advantage of these staggering gains. But if there is a slowdown or there is demand for profits, the people who are going to get hurt are users and consumers. That's what we see as a new risk," Bremmer said.

Earlier, Bremmer in Eurasia Group's 2026 Top Risks Report, said that AI has huge potential to transform industries as they can solve complex problems, assist with coding, research, and knowledge tasks, and are already speeding up development in areas like software, biotech, and materials science.

He, however, believes that even the most advanced models can make mistakes, are inconsistent, and aren't always reliable for high-stakes tasks. "Even after hundreds of billions of dollars of investment, the most advanced models still hallucinate," the report states.