Study of the future economists’ readiness to use artificial intelligence based on the hierarchy analysis method

Introduction. The article examines the problem of increasing the level of digital literacy of future economists in the context of interaction with artificial intelligence systems. The purpose of the study is to assess the readiness of future economists to use artificial intelligence in the context of digital prospects of the socio-economic space. Materials and Methods. The methodological basis of the study is the sustainable development strategy, which identifies educational opportunities, resources and technologies as a global driving force for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The main research method is T. Saaty’s Analytical Hierarchical Process method, which enables to build a flexible hierarchical model for studying the dynamics of future economists’ readiness to use artificial intelligence in the context of developing digital literacy. The authors conducted an online survey of students from the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Astrakhan State University, Omsk State Technical University, and schoolchildren from economics classes (Gymnasium 19, Omsk) to assess the future economists’ readiness to use artificial intelligence in the context of the transition to a digital economy. Results. The authors identified gender differences in respondents’ preferences in the use of artificial intelligence: female participants show higher results than the general sample, when choosing one answer about the purposes of personal use of artificial intelligence, and lower, when choosing a combination of answers, male participants show the opposite results, which is explained by the attitude towards risk in terms of gender stereotypes of behavior. When comparing the choice of respondents’ answers for different age groups (16-20 years old), no age peculiarities were discovered, as well as the ambiguous nature of the influence of artificial intelligence on the younger generation of future economists in terms of a decrease in the natural intelligence of young people against the backdrop of digitalization reaching all spheres of life. A high level of awareness of students and schoolchildren regarding the prospects and problem areas of using artificial intelligence in the field of economics and finance was also revealed. Conclusions. The study concludes that future economists are actively interacting with artificial intelligence systems, promoting the formation of digital literacy in the interests of sustainable development.