IMF warns AI could disrupt 40% of jobs, keeps growth near 3%

The global economy has found an unlikely support beam: the race to build artificial intelligence. According to IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, heavy investment in AI infrastructure is a key reason global growth is holding at approximately 3%. The catch is that the same technology keeping the lights on may also rearrange who gets paid to work under them. Georgieva warned that AI could augment, downgrade, or eliminate about 40% of jobs worldwide. She made the remarks on October 12, 2026, at the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok. Growth holds, with Asia doing the heavy lifting Georgieva said AI infrastructure spending is helping sustain global growth at around 3% in 2026, even as the world wrestles with ongoing energy supply challenges. Asian economies are positioned as the biggest beneficiaries. Demand for semiconductors, hardware, and related infrastructure is flowing directly into their factories and supply chains. AI investment is adding an estimated 0.5 to 1 percentage point to growth in advanced Asian economies, and 0.2 to 0.8 percentage points to emerging Asian economies. The IMF also identified the US, China, and India as the leading producers of AI, with s...