Pakistan, Oct. 8 -- IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has put an uncomfortable question before governments rushing to embrace artificial intelligence: who will actually capture the gains? Speaking ahead of the Fund's annual meetings in Singapore, she warned that AI investment was becoming a major force in the global economy while remaining concentrated in a relatively small group of countries.

Pakistan has reason to listen carefully. On the same day Georgieva issued her warning, the Federal Board of Revenue began extending the use of AI to scrutinise income-tax returns, while the State Bank reported that digital channels accounted for 92 per cent of retail payment transactions conducted through formal banking channels in FY26. ...