November 11, 2025
Changes brought by artificial intelligence are happening faster than anyone could have imagined. What once seemed a futuristic vision, robots interacting with humans, algorithms making decisions on their own, systems learning from experience, today is becoming our everyday reality. And as Zivko Krstic, an economist and AI expert from the company Sparky*, tells us: What awaits us already in 2026 will be “the fastest technological change humanity has ever experienced”.
“Never in history have changes come this fast,” says Krstic. “We’ve had industrial revolutions, the digital revolution, but artificial intelligence is something entirely different, it grows exponentially. And the question is not what AI will be able to do in ten years, because by then the technology will be able to do nearly everything. The question is how we as a society will position ourselves.”
Krstic, who has been following the developments of artificial intelligence in the economy for years, emphasizes that in the next few years we will witness a period of rapid changes which will act unpredictably, but in the long run, he says, the benefit will be far greater than the harm.
“There will be challenges, that’s inevitable. Entire new industries will emerge. Just like fifteen years ago we couldn’t have imagined there would be the profession of a vlogger, so today we cannot predict which professions will exist in 2030.”
According to him, artificial intelligence already has, and will have even more, the biggest impact on the job market. AI, Krstic believes, won’t necessarily “take” jobs, but it will change the way we work.
“What is happening now is a change of paradigm. AI takes over repetitive and routine tasks, but in return opens space for people to deal with things that demand creativity, empathy and strategic thinking. This is not replacing humans, but upgrading humans in the long run.”
Still, he warns that the key challenge is not technological, but social.
“Technology in itself is neither good nor bad, it all depends on how we use it. We decide whether it will make our life easier or complicate it. Robots can play football, but the question is, do we want to watch that? People are still fascinated by human imperfection, that element of unpredictability which a machine doesn’t have.”
When he speaks about 2026, Krstic isn’t referring to a distant future, but to very concrete changes that citizens will already feel in everyday life. The biggest shift, he says, will happen in the development of chatbots and AI agents, digital systems that are and will be able to talk with users, understand context and solve complex tasks in real time.
“Chatbots are already everywhere, but what is coming are swarms of AI agents, specialised experts for individual fields. We will have agents for finance, healthcare, education, even for creative industries. We at Sparky are already developing such tools for the financial and media sector, but soon every industry will have them.”
Krstic notes that ethical and regulatory boundaries are already appearing in the world.
“China, for example, has already banned the use of AI agents in some domains like law, medicine or nutrition in order to prevent abuse. Europe is moving toward regulation via the AI Act, which is good, because ethics and safety must be part of the development.”
Leader of the digital transition
When it comes to the sectors that will profit most from artificial intelligence, Krstic unequivocally points to finance, but also telecommunications, manufacturing and healthcare.
“The telecom sector is already deeply in AI transformation, from smart networks and predictive analytics to optimization of customer support. It’s a sector that has the infrastructure, the data and the willingness to invest, which makes it one of the leaders of the entire digital transition.”
“AI You Can Do It”
Hrvatski Telekom has launched a national program of free education about artificial intelligence so that everyone in Croatia has the opportunity to understand and use AI. The program called “AI You Can Do It” is the first of its kind in the Croatian language, and consists of 12 short informative-educational videos. In them, Toni Milun in a simple way gives a series of practical examples of using AI-based tools.
Artificial intelligence, he adds, will not only improve business operations, it will change the quality of life.
“AI already increases productivity. Research shows that people who know how to use AI tools can work faster and smarter. If you don’t know how, it won’t help you, but if you do, it can literally shorten your work day. In the long term, that means more time for life, less routine and less stress.”
When speaking about education, Krstic is optimistic. Croatia, he says, has a good foundation, from initiatives like the CroAI (Croatian AI Association) association to numerous school and STEM projects that teach children the basics of robotics and programming.
“That’s very important because if we want to be competitive, we need to prepare children for the world that’s coming. The changes are fast, while they finish school, the labour market will already look different from today. Therefore it is crucial that the education system keeps pace with technology.”
Still, Krstic adds that there’s still a lot of work to be done.
“We still don’t have sufficiently developed awareness about the ethical side of artificial intelligence. Most people rush to release a new product as soon as possible, but few think about the consequences. The EU is going in the right direction with promoting an ethical approach, but it must become part of culture, not just regulations.”
When asked if artificial intelligence by 2026 will indeed make life easier, Krstic smiles and says:
“It will, but not right away. At first there will be more uncertainty and adaptation. There will be resistance, as there always is when working methods change. But in the long term, AI will help us live smarter, work more efficiently and make better decisions. Only if we use it with understanding.”
Smart usage
In conclusion he adds:
“Artificial intelligence is not a miracle that will solve all problems, but a tool that can amplify the best, and the worst, in us. If we learn to use it responsibly, 2026 could be the year in which AI truly eases our lives, rather than complicates them.”
Original link (Croatian): https://slobodnadalmacija.hr/mozaik/drustvena-mreza/film-postaje-stvarnost-ocekuje-nas-najbrza-tehnoloska-promjena-koju-je-covjecanstvo-ikad-dozivjelo-1516884?cx_linkref=sd_home_sd_nepropustite_najnovije_items
