Mumbai, July 9 -- The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday modestly downgraded its outlook for the world economy this year, citing the energy shock caused by the Iran war. But the fallout from the conflict is being partially offset by booming investment in artificial intelligence and other technologies. Global growth is projected to be 3.0 percent in 2026 and 3.4 percent in 2027, down from the average of 3.5 percent observed in 2024-25 and broadly unchanged on a cumulative basis compared with the forecasts in the April 2026 World Economic Outlook (WEO). The modest slowdown reflects the effects of the war in the Middle East being partly offset by accelerated demand-driven momentum in the global technology cycle thanks to advances in arti...