IMF's Kristalina Georgieva Warns AI Could Impact 40% of Jobs

Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), stated that Artificial Intelligence (AI) could affect approximately 40% of jobs globally. She made this assertion during a panel session titled “Small Scale AI: More and Better Jobs” at the 2026 IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings held in Bangkok, Thailand.

Georgieva described AI as a “slow-moving tsunami” for the labor market, indicating that it could augment, downgrade, or eliminate jobs. According to IMF estimates, AI could impact about 60% of jobs in advanced economies and 23% in low-income countries, with the latter's lower exposure attributed to the slower spread of AI rather than greater protection.

She noted that AI is already driving investment and demand in various economies through the establishment of data centers and the development of AI models. Georgieva identified the United States, China, and India as major AI-producing economies, while several Asian countries, including Thailand, contribute to the infrastructure supporting this technology.

She emphasized that investments in AI are sustaining global economic growth at around 3%, despite challenges from energy supply shocks.