(MENAFN) According to reports, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim warned G20 countries on Saturday at the Johannesburg summit that artificial intelligence (AI) will reshape labor markets “at a pace our institutions will struggle to match.”

“When policies are aligned and rules are predictable, shocks pass through with less damage.
Resilience comes from common preparedness, not isolation,” Anwar said, emphasizing that this lesson is critical as “the next disruption” is likely to be even harder to manage.

He added: “Artificial intelligence will reorganize labor markets at a pace our institutions will struggle to match without early investment in transitions. Workers, especially the young and women, will face these shifts alone.” He highlighted past global unpreparedness for economic shifts, which led to stagnant wages, eroding trust, and the rise of grievance-based politics.

Anwar called AI-driven disruption “one of the defining challenges of our times” and urged countries to equip citizens, particularly youth, for rapid technological change, strengthen social safety nets, and support small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). “Global resilience cannot be built on fiscal exhaustion,” he said, adding that governments must “invest ahead of disruption, not after” and that multilateral development banks should be ready to act swiftly in collaboration with countries.

Citing South Africa and Africa’s history of enduring apartheid and colonization, Anwar stressed that the Global South expects the G20 to pursue a “just and fair” agenda, decisively addressing conflicts such as the civil strife in Sudan, the war in Ukraine, and atrocities in Gaza.

Anwar attended the two-day summit as a guest of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

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