Can AI finally break 25 years of economic slowdown?

For the past quarter-century, the global economy has felt stuck. After 9/11, the world entered a long period marked by military conflicts, financial crises, and weak economic growth. People stopped believing things would get better. Productivity — how much work people can actually accomplish — barely improved. Wages stagnated. This gloomy period became known as "the new normal."

But there's a growing belief that artificial intelligence (AI) — computer systems that can learn and make decisions like humans do — might change this story. Unlike previous technologies that took decades to transform the economy, AI could speed up how we work and create value much faster. If this happens, we could see real increases in productivity and wealth within years, not generations.

What would that actually mean for you? Better job opportunities, higher wages, and products and services that work better and cost less. It could also restore something we've lost: genuine optimism that tomorrow might be better than today. After 25 years of disappointment, many people have stopped expecting real progress. AI might be the breakthrough that changes that feeling.

Of course, this isn't guaranteed. How AI develops, who benefits from it, and how governments respond will all shape whether this optimistic vision becomes reality. But for the first time in decades, there's a real possibility that we're not stuck in slow growth forever.