WEF: 97% of economists expect faster AI adoption, but data centres may not deliver comparable job gains

According to the World Economic Forum's September 2026 Chief Economists' Outlook, 97% of respondents expect AI adoption to accelerate over the next 12 months and 69% expect meaningful productivity gains. While 78% see data-centre investment boosting global growth, 61% doubt it will create a comparable share of jobs.

• 97% of chief economists expect AI adoption to rise in the next 12 months, the survey's highest consensus
• 69% expect meaningful productivity gains; 69% see Chinese LLMs catching up with US models within a year
• 78% expect data-centre investment to drive growth, but 61% doubt comparable job creation
• 79% expect pushback from local communities; 78% flag higher electricity prices