The International Monetary Fund says nearly 40% of global employment could be affected by AI

(CNN) — Nearly 40% of jobs worldwide could be affected by the rise of artificial intelligence, a trend that is likely to deepen inequality, according to the International Monetary Fund.

In a post by L Blog International Monetary Fund head Kristalina Georgieva on Sunday called on governments to create social safety nets and introduce recycling programs to counter the impact of artificial intelligence.

“In most scenarios, AI will likely worsen overall inequality, a worrying trend that policymakers must proactively address to prevent technology from further inflaming social tensions,” he wrote ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The topic will be occupied A prominent place on the agenda.

Georgieva noted that as more workers and companies continue to adapt to artificial intelligence, it is expected to both help and hurt the human workforce.

Echoing earlier warnings from other experts, Georgieva said the effects are expected to be felt more deeply in advanced economies than in emerging markets, partly because white-collar workers are considered more vulnerable than blue-collar workers.

In more developed economies, for example, up to 60% of jobs could be affected by AI. About half of them could benefit from the way AI promotes greater productivity, he said.

“On the other hand, AI applications could perform key tasks currently performed by humans, which could reduce demand for labor, leading to lower wages and lower employment,” Georgieva wrote, citing the IMF analysis.

“In extreme cases, some of these functions may disappear.”

In emerging markets and low-income countries, 40% and 26% of jobs are expected to be affected by AI, respectively. Emerging markets refer to places like India and Brazil that have sustained economic growth, while emerging markets refer to low-income countries They mean To developing economies where per capita income is within a certain level, such as Burundi and Sierra Leone.

“Many of these countries do not have the infrastructure or skilled workforce to reap the benefits of AI, which increases the risk that the technology will exacerbate inequality over time,” Georgieva said.

He warned that the use of artificial intelligence could increase the chances of social unrest, especially if younger and less experienced workers take advantage of the technology as a way to help increase their production while older workers struggle to keep up.

It has become artificial intelligence Hot topic At the World Economic Forum in Davos last year when ChatGPT took the world by storm. The chatbot sensation, powered by generative artificial intelligence, has sparked conversations about how it will change the way people work around the world thanks to its ability to write articles, speeches, poems and more.

Since then, technical updates have expanded the use of chatbots and AI systems, making them more popular and spurring huge investments.

Some technology companies They have already pointed directly to artificial intelligence As one of the reasons for reconsidering employment levels.

While workplaces may change, widespread adoption of AI could ultimately increase labor productivity and boost global GDP by 7% annually over a ten-year period, according to a March 2023 estimate by economists at Goldman. Sax.

In her blog post, Georgieva also pointed out the opportunities to increase production and income around the world using artificial intelligence.

“AI will transform the global economy,” he wrote. “Let's make sure it benefits humanity.”