Economic Survey's Big Warning On Global AI Infrastructure: 'Worse Than 2008'

The Economic Survey 2025-26 warns that a worst-case global scenario, driven by AI could trigger a systemic shock with consequences "worse than the 2008 global financial crisis," posing a direct threat to India's IT-driven white-collar job engine. This low-probability but high-impact scenario, assigned a 10-20% chance by the Survey, envisions a cascading failure where technological overreach, geopolitical escalation, and financial stress collide. The Survey flags a specific vulnerability in the AI-heavy infrastructure sector, where business models rely on long-duration capital, narrow customer bases, and ambitious timelines. A correction in that segment, amplified by geopolitical shocks or trade disruptions, could shrink global liquidity, freeze capital flows, and force economies into defensive responses. "The macroeconomic consequences," the Survey cautions, "could be worse than those of the 2008 global financial crisis." NDTV's Shubh Bhardwaj brings you the details.