IMF: AI investment sustains global growth, with Asia emerging as the big winner behind the 3% growth rate

According to Zhitong Finance APP, Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said on Monday that large-scale investments in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure are supporting global economic growth to remain near 3%, bringing significant benefits to many Asian economies that provide related hardware products, such as Thailand.

She stated that the current AI investment boom has already created a "demand shock and investment shock," which is expected to boost the growth rate of developed Asian economies by 0.5 to 1 percentage points and increase the growth rate of emerging Asian economies by 0.2 to 0.8 percentage points.

"Whether people love or resist AI, it has already arrived," said Georgieva.

"Despite being weighed down by energy supply shocks, it is precisely this gear-shifting acceleration that keeps the global economy at a growth level of around 3%," she told hundreds of participants on the first day of a week-long series of meetings held by the IMF and World Bank in the Thai capital.

In July this year, the IMF forecasted a global growth rate of 3% for 2026 and will release its latest outlook on Tuesday.

According to informed sources, about 18,000 people are expected to attend these meetings this week, including financial officials from the IMF's 191 member countries. Several ministers will miss the meetings to focus on domestic affairs, including US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and Spanish Finance Minister Arcadi España.

AI Will Have a Profound Impact

Georgieva stated that AI can be described as a "slow-moving tsunami," and as economic production factors shift from labor to capital, AI will have a far-reaching impact on employment, economic growth, education systems, and even government tax models.

She said the IMF estimates that, over time, AI could lead to 40% of jobs being enhanced, downgraded, or eliminated. A preliminary study shows that 10% of jobs in the US already require AI skills. Routine and repetitive jobs are shrinking, while employment in two low-wage sectors—construction and data centers—is increasing.

"This is a transformative technology. It is fundamentally reshaping the way we work and live," she said, giving an example that her AI assistant now spends 30 seconds each day reporting her schedule.

Georgieva said that the US, China, and India are the most important producers in the AI supply chain, but many companies building the necessary infrastructure are located in Asia. She specifically mentioned this year's host country, Thailand.

The Impact of AI on Entry-Level Jobs

World Bank President Ajay Banga, who has made employment the core focus of his tenure, said the World Bank is concentrating on leveraging "small AI" that does not rely on large language models to bring significant productivity gains to farmers, healthcare systems, educators, and others in emerging markets.

Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, speaking at the same event, said that governments should begin to address the reduction in job opportunities for graduates caused by AI.

"There is a special issue we must resolve as soon as possible... and that is the first rung of employment, the first job after graduation, for which demand is currently decreasing," he pointed out.

He warned that the world should also be alert to "new differentiation" in growth and job creation between developing and developed economies caused by AI.

"If we are too passive about this, AI will exacerbate such differentiation," he said. "So, we must do everything we can to first use AI to create good jobs, create those tasks that humans can excel at, so that people can continue to climb the career ladder even in the AI era."