CEPA highlights AI threats; Calls for inclusive digital and labour market reforms in SL

A guest lecture organised by the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) recently brought together leading economists who cautioned that the rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence (AI), without parallel investments in inclusive digital infrastructure and labour-market reforms, could deepen inequality and leave significant sections of Sri Lanka’s workforce at risk.

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From left: Vagisha Gunasekara, Country Economist at UNDP; Dr. Sirimal Abeyratne, Executive Director of CEPA; and Jonah Rexer, Economist at the World Bank

Delivering the keynote address, Jonah Rexer, Economist at the World Bank, noted that while South Asia continues to rank among the fastest-growing emerging-market regions, the gap between labour-force growth and the pace of job creation remains unusually wide. Sri Lanka’s post-crisis recovery has stabilised macroeconomic indicators, he said, but fundamental employment challenges persist.