AI & Economy News — 2026-09-24 (Thu) Evening News

Overview

Bullish opinion on AI capital investment and concerns about electricity and financial issues are erupting at the same time. While the OECD pointed out the severity of the ``AI investment versus energy shock'' in 2027, the US-China summit focused on AI export controls (OECD, Roll Call).

Macroeconomic/growth trends

While AI capital investment has been described as the "biggest economic bet in U.S. history" (wsj.com), it has been pointed out that the AI boom will support the situation as the situation in the Middle East weighs on global growth (The Arab Weekly). Cathie Wood mentioned the possibility of real GDP growth exceeding 7-8% due to AI, and Elon Musk reportedly agreed with this (Benzinga). There are also reports that Wall Street has fallen due to concerns about AI and inflation risks (LiveNOW from FOX).

Productivity trends

AI could help reduce government debt, but the benefits will be uneven (Reuters, Modern Diplomacy). It has been pointed out that the productivity improvement effect of AI in the scientific field is offset by the time required to verify the output (Campus Technology). Some commentators argued that AI will not destroy the job market (Barron's).

Trends in employment and labor market

Verizon announced Verizon AI Skills for America, a $70 million investment in AI training (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Verizon). Pearson warned of the emergence of a "triple capability gap" in which the pace of AI adoption outpaces education and training (Morningstar). As the coding boom wanes, there are reports that computer science majors are shifting their focus to acquiring AI skills (Newsday).

Trends in energy/power demand

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts that electricity usage in the US will reach a new record high in 2026 and 2027 due to increased demand for AI (EnergyNow.com). There are calls for a moratorium on plans to convert the Seneca Lake thermal power plant in Yates County, New York, into an AI data center (WHEC.com). In Ohio, residents are increasingly dissatisfied with data centers, and an AI advocacy group is reportedly trying to change that (The Columbus Dispatch).

Remarks by central banks, international organizations, and VIPs

The OECD (an organization led by Secretary General Mathias Cormann) says that AI poses both growth and risks to the global economy, and predicted that 2027 will be a tough year with a tug-of-war between AI investment and energy shocks (middle-east-online.com, myRepublica). The IMF's 2026 report identified rising debt, the AI boom, and changes in trade structure as global risks, including for Nigeria (LEADERSHIP Newspapers). The Bank of Japan (Governor Kazuo Ueda) raised its economic outlook for the Tohoku region for the first time in 21 months, citing growth in semiconductor manufacturing equipment driven by demand for AI as a factor (Nihon Keizai Shimbun).

Trends in corporate capital investment

Estimates suggest that U.S. investment in AI infrastructure could reach $10.3 trillion over the next eight years, making it the biggest bet in history, surpassing the era of railroads (finance.biggo.com). Tesla is said to be planning a capital investment of over $25B in 2026 while proceeding with the installation of Grok as AI (TradingView). Gene Munster believes that Google and AWS's cloud business has exceeded market expectations, and that AI capital investment growth will accelerate toward 2027 (Stocktwits).

Trade and industrial policy

AI export controls were a major issue at the Trump-Xi Jinping meeting, and the Taiwan issue and oversupply of EVs were also discussed (Roll Call, Mercator Institute for China Studies). It was reported that China sent a message to Mr. Trump that ``it cannot be tightened'' through its mass production offensive of AI chips (CNBC). The US Democratic Party has called on President Trump to reach an agreement with Xi Jinping to slow down AI development (KEYE). Some analysis suggests that the two leaders are seeking "safe AI" without slowing down the competition for supremacy (The Japan Times).

Integrated analysis: What is happening now

The scale of capital investment (estimated at $10.3 trillion, Tesla's over $25B) and the rapid increase in electricity demand (EIA's record-breaking forecast, Seneca Lake conversion plan) are two sides of the same coin, and the tug-of-war in 2027 of "AI investment versus energy shock" pointed out by the OECD is exactly this friction between capital investment and electricity infrastructure. At the same time, on the employment front, as evidenced by Verizon's large-scale training investment and Pearson's "capability gap" warning, there appears to be a structural gap in which human resource development is not keeping up with the speed of AI adoption. On the trade front, while the United States and China are restraining each other over AI export restrictions, there are also cases where the AI boom is spreading to the real economy through semiconductor demand, such as the Bank of Japan's upgrade of its economic outlook for the Tohoku region, and the benefits and distortions of the AI boom are becoming apparent at the macro, productivity, electricity, and policy levels in parallel.

Future points of interest

- How will the ``tug of war between AI investment and energy shocks'' in 2027, which the OECD warns about, affect actual power prices and power grid strains? - The future of negotiations between the US and China regarding AI export restrictions and the impact on the semiconductor supply chain - Impact of the expansion of the “triple capability gap” in the job market on wage and recruitment trends