AI may be reversing globalization’s inequality effects. According to Gustavo de Souza (Federal Reserve of Chicago, 2025), AI adoption in Brazil increases jobs and reduces wage gaps by automating office tasks while boosting low-skilled factory work. A one-standard-deviation rise in AI use lifts employment up to 7% in three years, shifting risks from factory workers to “digital middle managers” and making the future of work potentially fairer.

ChatGPT Plus Bureaucracy can hinder or boost growth. In the US, clear, targeted laws reduce uncertainty and spur investment, while Italy’s opaque rules cost €110B yearly by discouraging business. Populist attacks on skilled bureaucrats weaken state capacity and long-term performance. What matters is not bureaucracy’s size but its quality, clarity, and competence.

Geopolitical uncertainty has grown since 2010, influencing firms to consider political alignment in decisions. A 2025 study by Grover and Vézina shows that foreign direct investment (FDI) is increasingly affected by geopolitical events. Using global data, the study finds that friendshoring has risen since 2011, reflecting deeper geoeconomic fragmentation.