The long view: AI and the new face of geopolitical relations

AI is reaching deeper into the global economy's foundations

Two big themes have been shaping the investment landscape so far in 2026: AI and geopolitical shifts. The long-term impacts of these two forces are still unknown. However, there are some signals that allocators can spot right now to better understand how AI and geopolitics – either independently or interdependently – could affect economies and markets going forward.

The long-term impact of AI

The AI Industrial Revolution: The AI Arms Race (MUFG)

How AI is shaping the face and focus of geopolitical relationships, transforming entire industries and prompting the rethinking of national security priorities.

AI Adoption and Trends in Securities Markets: EU Evidence (ESMA)

The ability to harness AI is one of the key innovation drivers in the global and European financial industry, and AI adoption in EU securities markets has been gradual and uneven.

Americas H2 2025 Data Center Update (Cushman & Wakefield)

A detailed update on data center growth throughout the Americas, focusing on market dynamics and outlook as well as activity in key markets in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America.

The China Data Center Advantage: Hype versus Reality (OIES)

There is an emerging narrative that abundant and cheap energy in China could provide it a durable advantage for data centers and AI, but the evidence for this is mixed.

AI Hurtles Ahead (Oaktree)

AI hurtles ahead, but is it a bubble? Oaktree Capital Management co-chairman Howard Marks shares his thoughts on the subject.

Global Giants in the AI Supply Chain (BIS)

AI giants are branching out into more layers of the AI supply chain. Their decisions can have a significant impact on a range of macroeconomic outcomes.

The new era of geopolitics

Pick Your Poison: Geopolitics or AI (BNP Paribas AM)

If it’s not geopolitics, it is AI making waves in the markets, either because AI is a bubble, or because it has the potential to disrupt business models and the labor market in ways that are difficult to quantify.

Implications of U.S-Israel Strikes on Iran (Amundi)

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The Iran crisis reinforces a structural shift in the markets: geopolitics is becoming a recurring macro driver again. What are the investment implications?

Navigating Geopolitical Megatrends for 2026 (ORF)

An in-depth look at a variety of megatrends – transformative, long-term, structural global changes – that are expected to be pivotal for Global South actors across six domains.

The 2028 Global Intelligence Crisis (Citrini Research)

What if AI bullishness continues to be right – and what if that’s actually bearish? Modeling a left tail risk scenario that’s been relatively underexplored.

Geopolitics in the Age of AI (Principal Asset Management)

A discussion about how geopolitics and AI are intertwined, particularly in the case of the U.S. and China, and other geopolitical risks that can impact economies and markets.

Gold, the Dollar and Another New World (Rothschild & Co)

Perspectives on the surge in gold, the dollar’s weakness and what it means for portfolios, and the “new world order.”

Geopolitical Risk and Portfolio Oversight (CFA Institute)

How a disciplined framework translates geopolitical shocks into portfolio-level signals for oversight.

Conflict in the Middle East: Implications for Markets and Macro (Allianz)

The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran will have implications for energy markets, shipping costs, inflation risks, and financial conditions.

Iran: Its Politics, Economy, and Impact (Deutsche Bank Research Institute)

To understand the conflict, understand the country: an overview of Iran’s politics, history, military, economy, and energy assets – and how the war may affect economies around the world.

War in the Middle East Takes Hold of the Global Economy (ING)

The global economic impacts of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran hinge largely on the conflict’s duration and Strait of Hormuz disruptions.