: The educational system, unlike other social systems, is distinguished at the same time by conservatism, necessary to protect itself from frequent and thoughtless changes as a result of temporary conjunctural moods, and modernism, expressed in the desire to prepare learners for the current needs of society. This duality also gives rise to many arguments for and against the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in education - if it does not, the education system will fall behind the realities, if it does, it may compromise its main purpose - to provide validated and verified knowledge to students and the students. The purpose of this article is to examine the possibilities of using AI in universities and to reveal the limitations that hinder it. In this sense, the object of the study is artificial intelligence, and the subject - its application in the higher education system. The purpose of the study is to examine, through a SWOT analysis, the opportunities and threats in the use of AI applications in universities, as well as their strengths and weaknesses, determining their readiness for it. A study has been conducted that shows that the opportunities for using artificial intelligence in education slightly outweigh the threats, and the strengths of universities as a terrain for implementing AI. The analysis also highlights what are the main levers for the development of AI in universities, what are the limitations to it, what are the risks that may occur in the future and what are the problems that can be expected if threats are not overcome and weaknesses are minimized. It is concluded that AI applications can be very useful in the work of teachers, and students want them, but this should be done carefully, respecting certain principles of equality, credibility, ethics and guaranteeing human rights.

Artificial intelligence has become a defining technology for the last decade and possibly the next few. Every day, new and new applications are created based on large language models (LLM), a little hastily called artificial intelligence (AI). This reveals new and new opportunities for their use in various spheres of public life. Public administration, despite its inherent conservatism, is also one such area where AI can be used to enhance its administrative capacity and citizens’ satisfaction with administrative services. The aim of this article is to address the possibilities of using AI in public sector organizations and to reveal the limitations that hinder it. In this sense, the object of the research is the Bulgarian state institutions, and the subject - the application of AI in their work. A study was conducted that shows that the employees in the Bulgarian state administration still do not know the possibilities of AI and how to use it in their work. Abstention is due to both ignorance and lack of regulation about what apps can be used where, as well as fear of possible risks. The report presents the possibilities of using some AI-based applications in the implementation of basic work processes in administrations and justifies the need to introduce strict regulations for this. The author’s hypothesis will defend the claim that the Bulgarian administration does not know well the possibilities of digital transformation and AI, through which their work and efficiency can be improved.

This study examines the extent and nature of media visibility of the main risks affecting the socio-economic development of Bulgaria. Using the Media Visibility Index (MVI) as an analytical tool, the study assesses how often and with what intensity risk-related topics are covered in the national and regional media. Data from 2024–2025 were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative approaches supported by artificial intelligence processing using ChatGPT-5. The findings show that while Bulgarian media cover most of the significant risks – such as cybersecurity threats, corruption, inflation and political instability – coverage remains largely descriptive rather than analytical. Furthermore, topics such as innovation, aging infrastructure and environmental sustainability are underrepresented. The study highlights the need to improve media independence, strengthen analytical journalism and promote media literacy as key factors for strengthening the democratic capacity of the public sphere. The results of the study can be used to compare media coverage of risks with their presentation in national strategic development documents and the preventive measures outlined therein, as well as to assess the adequate position of the media on the significant problems facing society.

National risks constitute an important but still underexplored dimension of sustainable development, particularly in countries exposed to institutional fragility, demographic decline, and geopolitical uncertainty. This study identifies and prioritizes the ten most significant risks facing Bulgaria’s development over the next decade, with particular attention to their fiscal and macro-financial transmission channels. The analysis is based on a structured expert survey conducted among 82 specialists from academia, business, research institutions, civil society, and public practice. Respondents assessed 32 potential risks according to likelihood and impact using a five-point scale. A combined priority index was constructed as the product of mean likelihood and mean impact scores. The results show that the most significant risks are concentrated around institutional and systemic vulnerabilities, especially distrust in the rule of law, ineffective healthcare, disinformation, corruption, crisis of statehood, demographic decline, and deterioration in education and infrastructure. The findings indicate that these risks affect Bulgaria’s long-term development through five main fiscal and macro-financial channels: higher sovereign risk premia, expenditure pressure, weaker revenue capacity and investment efficiency, labor market deterioration, and broader financial fragility. The study contributes to the literature on sustainability governance, sovereign resilience, and fiscal sustainability by showing that national resilience depends not only on the management of external shocks, but also on the institutional capacity of the state to absorb long-term structural pressures. The practical applicability of the study lies in the possibility and necessity of conducting a content analysis of the main strategic documents for the country’s development in order to establish the extent to which the identified main risks are reflected in them, as conclusions about the situation and as countermeasure policies.

Changes are taking place in Uzbekistan, which are characteristic of countries in transition from a centralized to a market economy. The country is entering a new era of development, which has an impact on the overall economic picture. After the presidential elections in 2016, a policy of reform and openness began to be implemented in Uzbekistan, which has a great impact on the political situation in the entire Central Asian region. According to many observers, the scale of political changes is unprecedented in the development of Central Asian countries since their independence. Unlike Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, reforms in Uzbekistan were not carried out under external pressure, but were voluntary and spontaneous with strong internal motivation. Due to the fact that the country realized that the centralized development model was unable to respond effectively to numerous internal and external challenges, it began to accelerate internal reforms, making successive changes to adapt to new realities. The positions of Uzbekistan in the international rating rankings are improving. Despite the successes achieved, the country’s highly centralized governance model does not allow local communities to be effectively involved in the planning and implementation of local policies for economic development. They are not active enough in identifying their infrastructure needs, in preparing community development plans, in implementing projects to modernize or build drinking water, gas and electricity systems, roads, schools and other basic infrastructure and public services. Underestimating the role of local communities in influencing the economic development of their regions is a restraining factor for economic development. Conversely, realizing the role of business organizations in shaping regional policy for local economic development is a great potential that has not yet been fully exploited. To prove this thesis, the authors conducted a survey of the attitude of business organizations in Uzbekistan to cooperation with local authorities. The results show that business representatives do not particularly rely on local authorities to stimulate the economic development of their cities and regions and, for this reason, do not show a particular desire to cooperate with them. This is a challenge, the overcoming of which can give the country a new impetus in terms of the economic development of the regions and settlements.

The research on organisational ambidexterity, understood as an ability to effectively solve current problems while ensuring long-term strategic development, is relatively recent. Very limited number of studies focus on ambidexterity in public organisations, or if any, it is considered primarily as an outcome rather than a strategy for achieving long-term success. This study aims to assess the organisational ambidexterity of a group of municipalities in two ways: by answering questions posed to municipal representatives and by calculating financial indicators that provide evidence of local governments’ preferences for funding current needs and investments for the future. The results were tested for statistically significant difference using the t-test. It is concluded that it is evident from their responses that municipal officials understand the need to achieve organisational ambidexterity, but the data from the analysis of the financial indicators of the studied municipalities clearly indicate a preference for spending on current needs over spending on investment and development.