Large-scale investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure are supporting the world economy and are among the factors that keep global growth around 3% despite energy supply problems. This was stated by the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva at the opening of the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank in Thailand.
According to Georgieva, the boom in investments in AI is already causing both strong growth in demand and capital investment. The effect could add between 0.5 and 1 percentage point to the growth of developed Asian economies and between 0.2 and 0.8 points in developing economies in Asia. “Artificial intelligence, whether we like it or not, is here,” she said.
In July, the IMF forecast global economic growth of 3% for 2026, and the fund is expected to present its updated forecasts on Tuesday. Asian countries involved in the supply chain for the necessary hardware and the construction of data centers are particularly benefiting from the AI boom. Georgieva named the United States, China and India as leading players in the supply chain, but also stressed the importance of other Asian economies, including Thailand.
However, the IMF managing director warned that the economic benefits would be accompanied by profound changes in the labor market. She described artificial intelligence as a “slow-moving tsunami” that will have serious consequences for employment, economic growth, education and even the way countries collect tax revenues as the expected shift from labor to capital.
According to IMF estimates, AI could affect about 40% of jobs over time, improving them, making them worse or eliminating them. Initial research by the fund shows that about 10% of jobs in the US already require AI skills. At the same time, routine and repetitive activities are declining.
World Bank President Ajay Banga said the institution will focus on using smaller AI solutions that do not depend on large language models. According to him, they can provide a significant increase in productivity in agriculture, healthcare, education and other sectors in developing economies.
Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam drew attention to another risk - the declining demand for young specialists for entry-level positions after graduating from university. According to him, it is precisely the “first step” of a professional career that is already feeling the pressure from artificial intelligence.
He also warned that without active policy, AI could deepen the differences between developed and developing countries. According to him, technology should be used not only to increase productivity, but also to create quality jobs that allow people to continue their professional development.
The annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank this week are expected to attract about 18,000 participants, including representatives of the financial authorities of the fund's 191 member countries.