• Ms Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF
TECHNOLOGY
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday called on governments to prepare workers for the changing labour market, estimating that Artificial Intelligence (AI) could affect about 60 per cent of jobs in advanced economies and 23 per cent in low-income countries..
Ms Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF, said this during a panel session on “Small Scale AI: More and Better Jobs” during the 2026 IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand.
She described AI as a “slow-moving tsunami” for the labour market, saying it could augment, downgrade or eliminate jobs.
She said the lower exposure in low-income countries reflected the slower spread of AI rather than greater protection from its effects.
According to her, AI is already stimulating investment and demand in some economies through the construction of data centres and the development of AI models.
She identified the United States, China and India as major AI-producing economies, while several Asian countries, including Thailand, were contributing to the infrastructure supporting the technology.
Ms Georgieva said the investments were helping sustain global economic growth at about three per cent, despite the drag from energy supply shocks.
She, however, said the next phase of AI development would be driven by adoption, which could enable more countries to benefit if they established the necessary foundations.
The IMF chief said developing economies need reliable electricity, digital infrastructure, appropriate skills, and effective government safeguards to ensure safe, inclusive AI adoption.
