Artificial intelligence has taken a big leap lately, and is widely expected to change the world, in particular its economy. How much will that be? A Goldman Sachs study has an answer: an increase of 7% in world GDP. With current global gross domestic product of slightly more than $100 trillion, that would mean a $7 trillion increase over the next 10 years, by the investment firm's estimates. Along the way, labor productivity growth would expand 1.5% yearly, per the report by Goldman economists Joseph Briggs and Devesh Kodnani.

Significant investments and research developments in artificial intelligence (AI) have made the technology a powerful asset in many industries -- including environmental studies. AI isn't a new technology, but businesses and consumers feel its impact and witness it seep into everyday life. AI is becoming more advanced and autonomous, and it's also broader in its use and impact. More use cases for AI are emerging, and if implemented responsibly, it can greatly benefit society. It's likely to play a role in tackling issues like climate change -- but how? Here's how AI is expected to impact the environment and usher in positive changes for a more sustainable future. It's critical to understand the breadth of environmental problems right now.

The application of AI technologies in four areas – agriculture, water, energy and transport – have the potential to increase global GDP by up to $5.2 trillion by 2030, according to a new report from Microsoft and Pricewaterhouse Coopers. That is an increase of 4.4% in global GDP over the next 11 years, relative to business as usual. At the same time, these technologies could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 4%. That is equivalent to the predicted 2030 annual emissions of Australia, Canada and Japan combined. This map shows where those changes could occur.

Emily is a tech writer, with expertise in entrepreneurship, & innovative technology algorithms. Modern technology is revolutionizing different sectors of the world. The banking sector is enjoying remarkable benefits too. Enhanced software for all the processes is encouraging employees to work efficiently and allowing the sector to improve customer experience too. The year 2020 has been a rollercoaster for all the industries.

Picture this: An ambulance rushes a seriously injured patient to the hospital. In the back, the paramedic makes a video call with doctors while sending them real-time vital signs and images of the injury. The paramedic pulls out what looks like an oversized ski glove connected to wires and grabs an ultrasound wand that a sonographer in an office somewhere virtually steers over the patient's injury. The sonographer then reviews the images for signs of trouble. By the time the ambulance pulls up to the emergency room, the patient's data, medical history, and insurance information has already been reviewed.

Davos, Switzerland – "Has China Won?" Kishore Mahbubeni, the Singaporean author and intellectual, greets me warmly in a conference lounge here and hands me a card promoting the March release of his new book, bearing that provocative question as its title. The cover blurb announces that he will explain "how, while America became arrogant and distracted, a three-thousand-year-old civilization is well on the way to becoming the number one power in the world." The year ahead is likely to provide the most profound trial yet for that thesis and for the durability of China's rise. Several new shocks and challenges, ranging from a potential pandemic to slowing growth, will test the resilience of China's authoritarian leadership and the state-run capitalist system that has provided the country four decades of record growth. It thus also could mark a significant year for the emerging, generational clash, not of civilizations as Samuel Huntington had argued, but rather of economic and political systems, between democratic and authoritarian capitalism.

Sputnik / Evgenya Novozhenina The contribution of artificial intelligence (AI) to the global GDP will increase 16-fold in the next 12 years, according to the head of Russia's largest bank Sberbank Herman Gref. "Expansion of artificial Intelligence in the coming years is likely to only grow. According to forecasts of a number of companies, if today AI contributes $1 trillion to global GDP, then according to forecasts of consulting companies, this figure will increase 16-fold over the next 12 years, until 2030," he said. The number of specialists in demand in the area will also increase significantly, he added, explaining that in 10 years the need will reach ten million people. A recent study by McKinsey Global Institute suggested that AI could boost annual GDP growth by 1.2 percent for at least the next decade.

"If delivered, this impact would compare well with that of other general-purpose technologies through history," notes McKinsey. "Consider, for instance, that the introduction of steam engines during the 1800s boosted labor productivity by an estimated 0.3 percent a year, the impact from robots during the 1990s around 0.4 percent, and the spread of IT during the 2000s 0.6 percent." The McKinsey report is based on simulation models of the impact of AI at the country, sector, company and worker levels. It looked at their adoption of five broad categories of AI technologies: computer vision; natural language; virtual assistants, robotic process automation, and advanced machine learning. Data sources included survey data from approximately 3,000 firms in 14 different sectors and economic data from a number of organizations including the United Nations, the World Bank and the World Economic Forum.

Much has already been made about how artificial intelligence is going to transform our lives, ranging from visions of the future in which robots make humans obsolete to utopias in which technology solves intractable problems and frees up people to pursue their passions. Consultancy firm PwC ran the numbers, and came up with a relatively rosy scenario with regards to the impact AI will have on the global economy. By 2030, global GDP could increase by 14%, or $15.7 trillion, because of AI, the firm said in a report today (pdf). Almost half of these economic gains will accrue to China, where AI is projected to give the economy a 26% boost over the next 13 years--the equivalent of an extra $7 trillion in GDP. North America can expect a 14.5% increase in GDP, worth $3.7 trillion.