# AI Is a Choice

> AI adoption requires global cooperation to share benefits without destabilizing society.
- Title: AI Is a Choice · Foreign Affairs | Shortify
- Summary: AI adoption requires global cooperation to share benefits without destabilizing society. AI's economic potential can be realized through coordinated action…
- Keywords: cooperation, economic growth, data centers, workforce transition, ai adoption, ai safety, ai regulation, ai economy, ai benefits, ai risks, ai governance, Choice
- Source: Foreign Affairs — https://foreignaffairs.com/united-states/ai-choice-imas-el-erian-manyika
- Author: Alex Imas
- Published: 2026-10-20T04:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ai, cooperation, economic growth, data centers, workforce transition, ai adoption, ai safety, ai regulation, ai economy, ai benefits, ai risks, ai governance
## AI's Economic Potential
AI can boost productivity, enable new entrepreneurship, and address aging populations and public debt.
## AI's Risks
AI threatens job displacement, educational disruption, bioweapons, and strain on energy, water, and land resources.
## Public Opposition
Most Americans oppose data centers in their communities due to resource use, noise, and utility bill concerns.
## AI's Transformative Power
AI can revolutionize science, medicine, and knowledge access while improving disaster prediction and medical diagnoses.
## Historical Parallels
AI adoption risks repeating globalization's mistakes of uneven benefits and concentrated job losses.
## The Cooperative Game
AI requires coordination across groups to maximize benefits and avoid destabilizing society.
## Trust Deficit
Public trust in AI has eroded due to concerns about who benefits from technological advances.
## AI Adoption Metrics
Google's Gemini and ChatGPT each reach over one billion monthly users globally.
## Shallow Adoption
Only 21% of tasks in typical occupations have been substantially affected by AI.
## Banking Sector Example
Banks use AI for superficial tasks but need deeper organizational changes for meaningful adoption.
## Labor Market Impact
AI automation has reduced employment for 22-25-year-olds by 19% compared to less exposed occupations.
## The Coalition Framework
AI requires stable coalitions of governments, businesses, and communities to share benefits.
## National Bargaining
Federal government, labs, infrastructure providers, and labor must collaborate on AI safety and transition.
## Local Data Center Agreements
AI companies commit to ratepayer protections and local benefits through data center projects.
## Worker Transition Support
Expanded wage and unemployment insurance programs help workers adapt to AI-driven changes.
## AI's Future Path
AI adoption requires ongoing coordination to ensure shared prosperity without destabilizing society.
## Key takeaway

AI's economic potential can be realized through coordinated action across governments, businesses, and communities to ensure broad prosperity.