AI Could Supercharge the US Economy, Tech Leader Tells World Officials

A top leader at one of the world's most powerful AI companies told government and finance officials on Saturday that artificial intelligence is improving at a breathtaking speed. Jack Clark, a co-founder of the AI company Anthropic, spoke at a major meeting of world leaders in Bangkok, Thailand. He said that AI could grow the US economy by nearly 50 percent by the year 2030. That would push the value of all US goods and services from about $30 trillion today to around $44 trillion.

Clark said that kind of growth would be huge, and he even admitted it 'sounds very outlandish.' But he explained that AI is already speeding up scientific discovery in a big way. He said for the economy to grow that much, AI would need to help create entirely new industries and inventions that do not even exist yet.

Clark gave a strong warning to policymakers about how fast AI is developing. He said there is growing evidence of what scientists call a 'singularity,' which is the point where AI grows so powerful that humans can no longer keep up with or control it. He urged world leaders to act now, saying the window of time to put proper rules in place is shrinking and is now just 'a small number of years.'

At the same meetings, both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank were talking a lot about AI. Officials see AI as a way to help economies grow, especially as energy prices stay high. But they also worry that if AI fails to deliver on its promises, stock markets could crash and cause serious harm to the world economy.

Clark painted an exciting picture of AI working alongside human scientists. He imagined a future where researchers are helped by hundreds or even thousands of AI assistants. These AI helpers could work on tough problems in math, engineering, and biology, and even help discover new medicines to fight diseases.

However, Clark also made clear that AI comes with serious risks. He said that being able to use AI for science also opens the door to dangerous misuses, like creating biological weapons or cyber attacks. He called for the strictest rules around biological research, where AI has already been used to create new viruses, and said this area needs careful human oversight to keep people safe.

Clark also talked about AI's impact on jobs. He said some workers, like those in call centers and customer service, are already losing jobs because of AI. At the same time, he said AI is helping create new jobs in fields like scientific research. He added that a big unknown is whether AI will eventually create brand-new types of jobs in industries that don't exist yet.

Anthropic itself is preparing for a big moment. The company is expected to launch an initial public offering, or IPO, in November. An IPO is when a company sells shares of itself to the public for the first time. Anthropic's IPO could value the company at as much as $2 trillion, making it one of the most valuable companies in the world.