The world of the future: what will we create? Watch the new Open Dialogue episode with Maxim Oreshkin

The world's population could peak as early as 2046, artificial intelligence could transform the familiar model of education and career entry, while critical thinking could become one of the key human skills. These issues are explored in the new episode of the international expert project Open Dialogue "The Future of the World. A New Platform for Global Growth" with Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia. The talk was held in Yekaterinburg as part of the International Festival of Youth — 2026.

Maxim Oreshkin identifies three megatrends of the future: geoeconomics, demographics and technology. In his view, it is their combination that will shape changes in education, the labour market, healthcare, culture and the urban environment. One of the main consequences of technological transformation is a new approach to human development. The expert views education as a continuous process: AI can support a person from school through to professional life, helping to build an individual pathway. However, this opportunity requires the conscious use of technology: if an algorithm begins not to help a person think but to think instead of them, it turns from a development tool into a substitute for development itself.

Continuing the theme of human development, Maxim Oreshkin turns to changes in the labour market. Unlike previous waves of automation, which primarily replaced physical labour, AI is moving into the sphere of intellectual work. Traditional entry-level positions that once served as starting points for careers are coming under threat. As a result, skills that are harder to transfer to machines are coming to the fore: critical and creative thinking, adaptability, curiosity and an understanding of context.

As the episode shows, the same technologies are also changing approaches to health. Digital platforms accumulate data throughout a person's life, while AI makes it possible to identify risks before symptoms appear. Maxim Oreshkin gives examples of solutions already in use — from analysing medical images to identifying groups at risk of heart attacks and strokes. The next stage is the transition from treating illness to managing health.

Maxim Oreshkin explores another aspect of these changes through culture and the media environment. AI is already involved in creating texts, music, videos and films. The amount of content is growing, production is becoming cheaper, and competition is increasingly centred on the scarcest resource — human attention. At the same time, technology is giving new momentum to local languages, narratives and cultural codes.

All these processes are coming together in a new platform economy. Transport, education, healthcare and other services are gradually being integrated into a digital environment. The episode therefore raises not only the question of the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence, but also that of technological sovereignty: who owns the platforms, where data is stored and who controls the digital infrastructure.

The international expert project Open Dialogue "The Future of the World. A New Platform for Global Growth" is implemented by the National Centre RUSSIA in partnership with the Centre for Cross-Industry Expertise "The Third Rome". Since its launch, the project has brought together more than 3,000 essay authors and experts from over 120 countries.

Watch the new Open Dialogue episode with Maxim Oreshkin — about the world of the future, the place of people within it and the decisions that are already shaping the development of countries and societies today.