Implications for businesses3 These scenarios are designed to support dialogue anchored in structured foresight around business risks, opportunities and strategies. The narratives of these four exploratory scenarios provide a lens for analysing how AI and talent dynamics – and the uncertainties underpinning their future trajectory – may reshape industries and corporate strategies. Building on the analysis in previous chapters and a series of workshops and consultations with chief strategy officers and subject matter experts, this chapter explores key risks and opportunities associated with the four scenarios as well as strategy considerations that may help businesses strengthen resilience and competitiveness within these futures. Scenario 1: Supercharged Progress Top risks –Overconfidence, regulatory lag and complacency amid accelerated progress –Strained energy grids, price spikes in critical materials and rising environmental externalities in the absence of a breakthrough in the green transition –An exponential increase in complexity and AI capabilities outpaces the capacity of businesses and governments to adapt, fuelling rapid obsolescence, a “winner-takes-all” dynamic and weakening control over AI agents, autonomous systems and multiplying proprietary models Top opportunities –Breakthroughs in productivity growth, cost efficiency and innovation –Blurring of physical and virtual networks creates interoperable AI-native ecosystems and minimizes geographic boundaries in access to talent, markets and critical value chains –Leapfrogging progress and human capital development, with the growth of hyperpersonalized goods and services, AI-tailored education and healthcare, investments in literacy, longevity and wellbeing Strategy considerations –Redesign business models around agentic networks, high-autonomy processes and AI-complementary talent pipelines –Scale data infrastructure, grid efficiency, value chains integration and resilience –Invest in agility, ecosystem and AI governance leadership –Align talent and AI strategies, and involve workers, governments and key industry stakeholders in AI deployment processes 14 Four Futures for Jobs in the New Economy: AI and Talent in 2030

Four Futures for Jobs in the New Economy AI and Talent in 2030 2025