IMF, OECD warn AI could widen rich-poor country divide

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Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark, Tiff Macklem, Governor of Bank of Canada and Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director at IMF, attend "AI and the Global Economy: From Risk to Opportunity" at the IMF/World Bank 2026 Annual Meetings at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand, October 16, 2026. REUTERS/Patipat Janthong
Deputy director in the IMF's fiscal affairs department Era Dabla-Norris speaks during the International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark, Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem and Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of IMF, attend "AI and the Global Economy: From Risk to Opportunity" at the IMF/World Bank 2026 Annual Meetings at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand, October 16, 2026. REUTERS/Patipat Janthong

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Oct 22 : Artificial intelligence could boost global growth, but poorer countries, smaller companies and younger workers risk missing out unless access to power, digital infrastructure and skills improves, according to officials from the IMF and OECD.

The warning comes as massive investment in chips and AI infrastructure has helped support global growth and drive stock markets to record highs, while raising concerns about whether companies can generate sufficient returns on large spending commitments as borrowing costs rise.

"For many developing economies, the critical question is whether they can adopt and diffuse AI," Era Dabla-Norris, deputy director of the International Monetary Fund's Fiscal Affairs Department, told the Reuters Global Markets Forum.

Effective AI adoption could add up to 0.5 per cent to annual global growth over the medium term, the IMF estimates.

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"But the aggregate productivity evidence, so far, is much less," Dabla-Norris said.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development estimates AI could add 0.4 per cent to 1.2 per cent to annual productivity growth across its member countries. But its chief economist, Stefano Scarpetta, said that workplace use trails consumer use, with only limited adoption in core business functions.

"There is a large gap between exposure and actual use," Scarpetta said.

The IMF estimates that about 40 per cent of jobs worldwide could be exposed to AI, as reports of mass layoffs gather pace.

Barclays said it was cutting around 5,000 jobs this year as it uses technology including AI to reduce costs and improve returns. EBay is reported to be laying off 9 per cent of its workforce, while Qualcomm is expected to cut jobs globally in a "performance-focused reduction".

Dabla-Norris said younger and entry-level workers could be particularly vulnerable if AI takes over tasks through which employees traditionally gain experience.

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Source: Reuters

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