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OECD and partner countries formally adopted the first set of intergovernmental policy guidelines on Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the organisation’s annual Ministerial Council Meeting today, agreeing to uphold international standards that aim to ensure AI systems are designed to be robust, safe, fair and trustworthy.

Global growth slowed sharply in late 2018 and is now stabilising at a moderate level. Trade conflicts and dangerous financial vulnerabilities threaten a renewed weakening of activity by undermining investment and confidence worldwide, the OECD’s latest Economic Outlook says. It expects the global economy to grow by 3.2% in 2019 and 3.4% in 2020.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been a driver of employment growth in recent years, mainly through the creation of new firms, a new OECD report says. However, most SME job creation has been in sectors with below average productivity levels, with SMEs typically paying employees around 20% less than large firms.

With only 11 years left to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in 2015, OECD countries have still not met targets in areas like poverty reduction, youth employment, education and training, gender equality and numerical literacy, the new OECD report Measuring Distance to the SDG Targets 2019 says.

Governments must urgently improve their education and training policies to help more people reap the benefits of the digital transformation and reduce any risk of wider inequalities and unemployment, a new OECD report says.