IMF Chief: AI Investment Boom Is Becoming a Driver of Global Economic Growth

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the artificial intelligence investment boom, so far concentrated in the United States, is spreading to other countries and could become a driver of global economic growth. She said other countries are increasing investment in data centers and related infrastructure, while economies connected to the AI hardware supply chain are also benefiting from rising demand.

Georgieva said the expansion has helped offset some of the economic pressure from the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and that the global economy has handled the resulting energy shock better than the IMF initially feared. The IMF's July 2026 forecast put global growth this year at 3 percent, versus 3.5 percent in 2025; updated forecasts are due in October. She warned, however, that declining oil and gas reserves ahead of the northern hemisphere winter leave the global economy vulnerable to another rise in energy prices.