A vaunt of Bulgaria, Kristalina Georgieva, has spent time in interviews and interventions on television and social to plead the case for greater attention and investment capacity on the part of all economically developed countries, in the areas of education and technology, so that the conditions are created to participate in the economic development that will be there as a result of the revolution in the use of Artificial Intelligence in almost all areas of the economy and social life. We are now in the implementation phase, no longer in the experimental phase. The time for wonder and doubt has passed, the competition is open, and no discount will be given.
The development of artificial intelligence (ia) raises "concerns" but also offers "great opportunities" at a time when growth in the global economy is weak, Bulgarian Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said in an interview with Afp.
Georgieva drew on an IMF report on the impact of ia on employment and the global economy, put together ahead of the World Economic Forum that opened Jan. 15 in Davos, Switzerland.
According to the report, ia will affect 60 percent of jobs in advanced economies and could widen the gap between rich and poor countries.
"Globally, artificial intelligence will impact 40 percent of jobs," Georgieva said. "The more skilled a job is, the more the consequences will be." According to the IMF director, ia could also result in "large income increases for some categories."
AI could exacerbate wage inequality, with negative consequences for the middle class, while workers who already have high incomes could see further increases.
"Many effects are unpredictable, but mechanisms will probably have to be developed to share productivity gains," Georgieva added.
The IMF's main fear, however, is that ia will increase the gap between advanced countries and everyone else. "To avoid this, we need to help poor countries take advantage of the opportunities offered by ia," Georgieva said.
Regarding the global economy, the IMF director called on governments to make the necessary fiscal efforts to cope with the shocks of recent years, including the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and sharp price increases, amid high debt in many countries.
"In some countries the debt problem is very serious," Georgieva said. "They risk becoming insolvent or having to devote a large part of their income to servicing their debt, limiting their ability to invest and finance essential services."
"Governments need to rebuild their fiscal reserves to be ready for unforeseen events," she added.
However, Georgieva sounded the alarm about the risks of increased government spending in many countries, "Elections will be held in almost eighty countries this year, and we know what happens in the election campaign."