EuroWire, GENEVA: The World Economic Forum said a new report shows the global economy is being reshaped by faster adoption of artificial intelligence, with technology, debt, demographic change and environmental pressure combining to redefine the conditions for long term growth. The report, titled Growth in the New Economy: Towards a Blueprint, draws on two years of consultations with business leaders, policymakers and experts and uses findings from the Executive Opinion Survey 2025. WEF said the analysis identifies productivity, human capital and resilience as central to growth in a more technology driven era.
The report said advances in artificial intelligence are changing how value is created across industries, while competition between major powers, elevated borrowing levels and shifting populations are adding to the complexity of the economic outlook. It said governments and companies are operating in an environment where traditional growth models are under strain and where new gains are likely to depend more heavily on knowledge, skills and digital capabilities. The findings position AI adoption as a defining feature of the next economic phase rather than a standalone technology trend.
WEF said the blueprint is based on dialogue with nearly 200 leaders and experts and incorporates responses from more than 11,000 executives in 118 countries. It said the report highlights several sectors expected to play an expanding role in future growth, including information technology services, advanced manufacturing, health and leisure. At the same time, the report identifies energy costs and political instability as among the main barriers weighing on business activity, investment decisions and the broader capacity of economies to sustain stronger output over time.
Investment and productivity pressures
The report said the new economy will require stronger links between investment, innovation and workforce development as AI systems spread more widely across business operations. It said productivity gains will not depend on technology alone and will instead require institutions, infrastructure and training systems that allow firms and workers to adapt. WEF also said higher debt levels in many economies are narrowing policy flexibility, making it more difficult for governments to respond to shocks while also funding long term priorities tied to modernization and competitiveness.
The broader institutional backdrop has pointed in a similar direction. Other recent global assessments have found that artificial intelligence is accelerating changes in labor markets and business models, while also increasing pressure on workers to update skills more quickly. Those studies have also shown that AI deployment remains uneven across sectors and countries, suggesting that the economic gains tied to adoption will depend in part on whether firms beyond the largest and most digitally advanced companies can integrate the technology into production, services and decision making at scale.
WEF sectors expected to drive expansion
In identifying the sectors most likely to support future expansion, the report pointed to IT services, advanced manufacturing, health and leisure as areas with capacity to benefit from changing demand patterns and greater use of digital tools. It said those industries are positioned at the intersection of technology, consumer demand and structural change, making them important to the next stage of economic activity. The WEF said the challenge for policymakers will be to support growth while managing trade offs linked to affordability, labor market disruption, public finances and energy security.
The findings place WEF’s latest work within a wider debate over how economies can maintain growth in a period marked by rapid technological change and rising structural constraints. By framing artificial intelligence as one of several forces driving a broader economic reset, the report sets out a picture in which productivity, skills and resilience carry greater weight in determining outcomes. It said the choices made by governments, businesses and institutions will shape how effectively economies adjust to this changing environment.