UN: Data AI investments increasing

THE purchase of physical assets was eclipsed last year by a surge in investment in intangible items like software, data and AI, the UN said yesterday, describing a “fundamental shift in how economies grow and compete”.

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Investment in intellectual property-backed assets grew three times faster in 2024 than investments in physical objects like machinery and buildings, which have been hit by high interest rates and a subdued economic recovery, the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (Wipo) said in a fresh report.

The report, which was co-published with Italy’s Luiss Business School, showed that intangible investment across 27 highand middle-income economies grew about three percent in real terms last year, reaching $7.6 trillion, up from $7.4 trillion a year earlier.

“We're witnessing a fundamental shift in how economies grow and compete,” Wipo chief Daren Tang said.