21 Interview | Former World Bank Vice President Goldin: Don't Become a "Robot" in the AI Era

At this moment, the world is embracing artificial intelligence with unprecedented enthusiasm. From companies to individuals, people are eager to deploy agents and connect to large models, fearing that they will be left behind in the race of technological tides. However, in this nationwide rush to chase “intelligence,” Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalization and Development at the University of Oxford, issued a calm yet profound reminder to reporters covering 21st Century: In the age of AI, don’t let yourself become a “robot.”

He said that the rapid development of AI technology is profoundly reshaping employment structures and the way people live. If we lose our commitment to what makes people human, we may get lost in the pursuit of intelligence. “We shouldn’t let ourselves fall into a digital world that lacks values, ethics, and friendship. Maintaining balance is very important—seeing the advantages brought by AI, but also not letting ourselves turn into robots.”

Goldin is the founding principal of St. Antony’s College, Oxford. The college is a leading interdisciplinary research center committed to studying the major global challenges facing humanity. Before joining the University of Oxford, he served as Deputy Managing Director of the World Bank and Director of its Policy Department. He was also the Chief Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). He additionally served as an economic adviser to South African President Nelson Mandela. He has long devoted himself to research on globalization, development, and technological transformation, with deep insight into the global economic landscape and technology trends.

On March 22, when Goldin spoke at the “Special Session on Technological Innovation and the Development of Future Industries” at the 2026 annual meeting of the China Development Forum, he pointed out that the present is both an era of change and an era full of opportunities, as humanity is moving from an industrial economy to a knowledge economy. He envisions that the future world will have cleaner air, silent vehicles, and faster speeds. But how such changes will affect social and political landscapes and the future of the world is the key question that must be answered.

During the breaks between sessions that day, he accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from 21st Century. He shared a series of unique insights on topics including AI development trends, China’s smart economy prospects, new directions in globalization, the future direction of U.S.-China relations, and how the younger generation should respond to an accelerating era. In the interview, he said that China is currently at the very forefront of AI development, and that the strategic direction of vigorously developing the intelligent economy is correct; it will unleash huge potential in fields such as health and biotechnology.

When discussing the development gaps that AI may bring, Goldin said frankly that the rapid development of AI will indeed widen the gap between developed countries and developing countries. The reason is that many manufacturing jobs and repetitive tasks that once drove development will be replaced by robots and automation systems. In the future, how to create new development-oriented jobs—especially export-oriented jobs that drive development—will become a major challenge. He suggested that many countries need to place renewed emphasis on traditional sectors such as tourism, natural resources, minerals, and agriculture, and absorb more employment by improving productivity and efficiency.

Goldin. Courtesy photo

China is at the forefront of the global AI wave

21st Century: Recently, OpenClaw has become a breakout hit in China, sparking a nationwide “raising crayfish” craze and driving a significant increase in China’s AI model calls. Added to the massive attention triggered earlier by China’s AI startup DeepSeek, what do you think about the momentum of AI industry development in China?

Goldin: I believe AI itself is accelerating in its development. Its capability growth is extremely rapid, and I believe this trend will continue. China is currently at the forefront of this development.

21st Century: How do you view the prospects of China promoting a “smart economy”? In which specific industry areas is China most likely to achieve large-scale value realization of the “smart economy” first?

Goldin: First, I believe the principles of the smart economy are the right direction—we are moving toward high-quality development. With AI empowered by digital technologies, it will permeate every aspect of society. I believe the most important goal is to achieve sustainable growth. Decarbonization of the system is crucial. I believe AI will reduce the costs of many areas, including energy, which is very critical. It will also bring better air quality, higher quality of life, better management, and foster all kinds of emerging industries, especially in the fields of biotechnology and health sciences. I believe the potential here is enormous.

From a long-term perspective, robotics technology will continue to advance, and quantum computing will also keep developing. But the most important thing, I think, is that the field with the biggest impact will be health—it has already fundamentally improved people’s lives.

21st Century: Will AI development widen the gap between developed and developing countries?

Goldin: I really do think that the rapid development of AI will widen the gap. This is mainly because the jobs that once drove development—such as many manufacturing jobs and many repetitive tasks—will no longer exist in the future, because they will be replaced by robots and automation systems. There won’t be call centers that provide employment for hundreds of millions of people anymore; the factories that once employed millions will become even more capital-intensive and robot-intensive. So the real big issue is: where will development-oriented job opportunities come from—especially export-oriented jobs that drive development? I think this will be a huge challenge.

AI has many benefits—for example, it can enable leapfrogging progress in communications, healthcare accessibility, financial systems, and more. These benefits are enormous, and we need to seize them. At the same time, I also believe that, especially for developed countries, we need to create an environment in which people have the skills and can interact with AI. In addition, many countries will have no choice but to place renewed emphasis on traditional areas such as tourism, natural resources, minerals, and agriculture. These sectors are still very important. Helping them improve productivity, improve efficiency, and absorb more employment will be an important part of the development challenges.

Globalization has not disappeared—it remains full of vitality in Asia

21st Century: You once said, “Globalization has not disappeared; it remains full of vitality in Asia.” Could you elaborate on the basis for the conclusion you reached?

Goldin: By globalization, what I mean is cross-border flows—the flow of trade, investment, digital information, people, and ideas. What we see in Asia is rapid growth in these flows, with average growth rates between 4.5% and 5%. So these cross-border flows are clearly increasing. But in the Atlantic region—between the United States and Europe, and Latin America—the situation is not like that; the growth of these flows is much slower.

21st Century: In this new stage of globalization, what role does China play?

Goldin: China plays a very active role in this evolution. First, it ensures solid growth in its own economy. China contributes about 30% of global growth—an extremely high figure. In this process, it also integrates more deeply with regions through supply chains and other dimensions—investing in the regions, while the regions also invest in China, and participating in global interactions. Therefore, China plays a very, very active role in global growth, investment, and job creation. I believe the next five-year plan will further consolidate this.

21st Century: Later this year, China will host the APEC summit. In the current international environment where protectionism is on the rise, what role can APEC play in promoting regional integration? What kind of role do you expect China to play as the host?

Goldin: APEC is a strong organization made up of 21 economies spanning the Asia-Pacific and Asia, and its members are highly diverse. Whether the United States will participate actively is worth watching; all the other members genuinely hope for growth, trade, global stability, and cooperation. So this is a great opportunity for China to cooperate with these countries in trade, investment, and other areas for shared benefits.

As the host, China needs to show that it is a source of regional growth and stability. This is crucial to ensure sustained growth and to reinforce its commitment to regional peace. It is very important to demonstrate to other countries that China is pursuing a peaceful development path. It is also important to play a leading role in exploring new investment opportunities and potential cooperation in areas such as supply chains and investment.

In addition, I believe China can also play a role in how the region jointly manages risks—for example, how the region responds to rising oil prices, how it prepares for the next major pandemic, and how it reduces the risk of financial crises. Therefore, whether in opportunities or in risk management, China can serve as a convener, bringing all parties together.

21st Century: Against this backdrop, how can China promote the Belt and Road Initiative to provide more public goods to the world?

Goldin: The Belt and Road Initiative is a huge source of investment. It provides the logistical foundation for strengthening supply chain integration, expanding trade, and increasing investment opportunities. Such infrastructure investment, as well as other forms of contact and cooperation generated under the Belt and Road framework, are extremely important.

China will become the world’s largest economy within a decade

21st Century: In recent years, the United States has imposed export controls on key technologies such as semiconductors. You previously described policies like this as “bad” and “counterproductive.” In your view, to what extent have these external pressures affected China?

Goldin: I believe China is an open economy that benefits greatly from global trade, investment, and exchanges of ideas. Technology and investment are part of what has made China successful today. I think China’s leadership has played an extraordinary role in understanding the importance of maintaining economic openness. China also has its own national interests in key minerals. But my personal view is that by conducting trade and maintaining economic openness, some of the pressure can be relieved. So I think it would be much better to have a more harmonious world where goods can move freely.

21st Century: You predicted that China would become the world’s largest economy within a decade. If this trend continues, how do you think U.S.-China relations will evolve—will they become more relaxed, or will there be greater friction?

Goldin: I think China becoming the largest economy is inevitable. Its growth rate is faster, and simple arithmetic tells us it will become the largest economy. How the United States will respond remains to be seen. This depends on who takes office in the White House—whichever president is elected. But I believe it will be hard for the U.S. to accept that it is no longer number one. Of course, it needs to live in a world where economic strength and development opportunities are shared. That is good for the world and a source of stability. I believe that in the medium term, various parties—China, the United States, the European Union, India, and others—will gradually come to recognize that we only have one planet and that we need to manage it together. We face enormous risks—climate change, major pandemics, and so on—and these risks can only be addressed together. No matter how high the walls are, these risks cannot be kept out; we all share common interests in global growth and peace.

21st Century: You have said that the younger generation will face a “more complex, but also more open” future. What kind of future will that be? How should young people prepare for it?

Goldin: Today will be the slowest day of the rest of our lives. The pace of change is accelerating. So as individuals, we need to learn faster. We need to stay curious. We need to keep asking questions. The jobs that young people do today will be completely different 20, 30, 40, and 50 years from now. Young people today should expect to live to over 100 years old, so they will work for a long time and live for a long time. They need to keep learning continuously.

They also need to stay flexible, because society changes, demand changes, and skills change. In this process, changing skills, continuously learning, and even changing cities or places of residence will become important. They also need to learn resilience, because the future will bring many unexpected things and shocks. People need to build resilience.

One of the biggest challenges is not only maintaining physical health, but also maintaining mental health. Therefore, taking good care of yourself is very important—exercise, creativity, and friendship. All of these are essential. We should not let ourselves fall into a digital world that lacks these elements, because in the future we will also need values, ethics, and friendship—things that do not come from the digital world. Maintaining this balance is very important: we need to see the advantages brought by artificial intelligence, but we must not let ourselves become robots.

(Author: Zheng Qingtíng; intern: Xie Jianling; Editor: Zhang Xing)

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