The global impact of AI: Mind the gap by Eugenio Cerutti, Antonio Garcia Pascual, Yosuke Kido , Longji Li, Giovanni Melina, Marina M. Tavares, Philippe Wingender published by VOXEU (5/2025).
Artificial intelligence is widely seen as a transformative force for productivity and innovation. Yet, its macroeconomic implications remain uncertain, especially from a global perspective. This column shows how structural differences in AI exposure, preparedness, and access in advanced economies, emerging markets, and low-income countries shape the distribution of AI-induced productivity gains. While improvements in AI preparedness and access can mitigate some disparities between countries, they are unlikely to fully offset them. AI-driven productivity gains could reduce the traditional role of exchange rate adjustments due to AI’s large impact on the non-tradable sector.
