World Bank jobs council urges 'crisis-era' support measures as IMF warns of AI ‘tsunami’ hit

Kristalina Georgieva (R), managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), shakes hands with Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the IMF Annual Meetings Curtain Raiser in Singapore on October 7, 2026. Roslan Rahman | Afp | Getty ImagesBANGKOK — Policymakers are moving from debating whether artificial intelligence will hit jobs to issuing stark warnings about AI-led disruption and recommending measures on cushioning the fallout.International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warned on Monday that artificial intelligence was hitting the global labor market like a "slow-moving tsunami," with young graduates first in line to be knocked down."People to worry about, first and foremost, [are] young people that are coming into the labor market," Georgieva said at a panels on Monday. "Normally, they would get into these routine, repetitive jobs and then grow up the ranks. But if they're gone, I don't think any young person wants to be a barista in a coffee shop as ... professional future."Speaking on the same panel, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who co-chairs the World Bank's Jobs Council, called for governments to make "crisis-era" su...