AI productivity gains are making the rich richer, and they'll wipe out jobs—but the IMF chief sees a silver lining for low-wage workers

IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva speaks to reporters outside during the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. (Credit: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Productivity gains from artificial intelligence are disproportionately boosting high earners, but an argument exists that the dynamic can lift low-wage workers at the same time. It all has to do with a longstanding economic theory.

AI is often viewed as a catalyst for widening wealth inequality, but rising wages at the top end of the economic spectrum could spill over to benefit all income levels, argued Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund.