International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva has warned that artificial intelligence will reshape nearly 40% of jobs globally and risks eroding government tax revenues over time, speaking at the IMF-World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok on 12 October 2026.
Georgieva framed the labour-market shift as structural and gradual rather than sudden, but no less serious for workers and policymakers. The IMF estimates that AI could affect around 40% of jobs worldwide, rising to 60% in advanced economies and 23% in low-income countries.
Speaking at a session on AI’s impact on employment, she said the technology is already hollowing out demand for routine, repetitive human work while simultaneously increasing low-paying jobs in sectors such as construction, which she described as “not a story to celebrate.” She also linked the shift to a wider fiscal risk, warning that AI tilts economic gains toward capital and away from labour, the traditional base of government tax revenue.
“It is a slow-moving tsunami, but [a] tsunami nonetheless,” said Kristalina Georgieva, managing director, International Monetary Fund.
Georgieva urged policymakers to rethink education systems and act now rather than wait for clarity. “We cannot today imagine what exactly the world of work will be five years from now. But we can be disciplined and carefully assess what is happening, and then draw lessons, but most importantly act on them now,” she said.
The IMF chief also noted that AI investment could still lift growth, estimating that AI adoption may add 0.5 to 1 point to growth in advanced Asian economies and 0.2 to 0.8 points in emerging Asia, enough at the upper end to offset the drag from ageing populations.
