The report says the group includes 15 Nobel laureates and has called for more research into AI’s economic effects, alongside stronger measures to manage disruption. Its warning is broad, but the pressure point is clear: productivity gains may arrive before workers, schools and governments are ready to absorb the consequences.
Businesses continue to promote AI as a route to higher output. The harder question is who benefits when routine work is automated and new roles demand advanced technical skills.
AI requires data centres that consume substantial electricity for computing and cooling. Most new Canadian projects are reportedly being planned in Saskatchewan and Alberta, where supporters point to jobs and utility revenue.
Critics fear higher consumer costs and tighter power supplies. The report says opponents of a proposed US$13bn Alberta data centre argue it could require almost three-quarters of Edmonton’s electricity use. That comparison remains a contested projection, but it captures the scale of the local debate.
The report says more than US$60bn in United States data-centre projects have been blocked or delayed by local campaigns. It also cites survey evidence that chatbot use among American adults rose from 33% to about half in 2025, even as younger users remained among the most sceptical.
The next test will be whether governments link AI expansion to transparent energy planning, consumer protection and credible support for displaced workers. AI investment is accelerating; public consent may prove harder to secure.