Introduction: The Impact of AI on Economies: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

This editorial introduces a special issue examining the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on economies across seven countries at different stages of development: Australia, China, Greece, India, Korea, Türkiye, and Vietnam. Drawing on perspectives from labour economics, innovation systems theory, sociotechnical analysis, and development studies, the assembled contributions move beyond technologically deterministic accounts of automation to reveal heterogeneous outcomes shaped by occupational structures, workforce demographics, governance arrangements, and institutional capacity. Five cross-cutting themes emerge: the age and experience asymmetry of AI’s labour-market effects, with early-career workers disproportionately affected through narrowed hiring margins; significant sectoral heterogeneity in adoption trajectories; a diverse spectrum of governance approaches, none clearly superior and all context-dependent; a critical gap between technology deployment and the institutional conversion of AI capabilities into inclusive growth; and differentiated skill policies. The issue argues that skills policy must be differentiated and context-sensitive, and that the central challenge of AI-driven transformation lies not in access to technology but in building the complementary institutional, organisational, and human-capital foundations needed to translate technological potential into broadly shared prosperity.