Divergent perspectives are emerging among international leaders about artificial intelligence’s role in reshaping the global economic order. Some characterize current changes as a permanent rupture requiring fundamentally new approaches, while others see opportunities for alternative paths that preserve international cooperation. This debate occurs against the backdrop of massive AI-driven labor market transformations.
Research shows 60% of jobs in advanced economies will be affected by AI, with 40% of positions globally facing similar changes. Approximately one-tenth of jobs in wealthy nations has already been enhanced by AI, generally with positive wage effects. However, the broader question involves how AI development and deployment will affect international economic relationships.
Young workers face severe employment challenges as AI automates entry-level tasks. Traditional starter positions provide crucial first professional experiences, but these roles are heavily concentrated in work that AI can perform efficiently. This creates barriers to youth employment with potentially lasting effects on workforce development and social mobility.
Middle-income workers confront economic pressure from AI’s uneven impact. Those whose jobs aren’t transformed by the technology may experience relative decline, seeing wages stagnate without the productivity enhancements that benefit AI-augmented workers. This dynamic threatens to erode the middle class and increase inequality both within and between nations.
The governance challenge extends to international cooperation. AI’s requirements for substantial capital, energy, and data suggest benefits from collaborative approaches, but rising economic nationalism and trade tensions threaten fragmentation. Labor representatives emphasize the need for inclusive frameworks that distribute productivity gains broadly. The choice between economic rupture and alternative cooperative paths may determine whether AI’s benefits spread widely or concentrate among dominant players.
