People’s Bank of China to monitor AI’s impact on economy and policy

China’s central bank has added a new item to its watch list: artificial intelligence. Speaking at the Financial Street Forum in Beijing on October 19, 2026, People’s Bank of China (PBOC) Governor Pan Gongsheng said the bank will keep a close eye on how AI affects the economy, financial markets and monetary policy. The goal, he said, is to make forward-looking policy preparations rather than scramble after the fact. What Pan actually said Pan framed the bank’s approach as cautious and measured. He called for prudent assessments of AI’s influence across three areas: the broader economy, financial markets and the mechanics of monetary policy itself. On jobs, Pan offered a nuanced read. He said AI has not yet considerably affected overall employment levels. But he added that the technology is already changing the structure of jobs across various sectors. Pan also stressed that AI’s effects are uneven. They differ by country, by region and by industry, which makes a single, blanket policy response hard to design. A warning from inside the committee Pan’s remarks did not come out of nowhere. A month earlier, on September 19, 2026, Huang Yiping, a member of the PBOC’s monetary policy comm...