Theia at the World Bank: AI Governance and the Future of Jobs

This week, the Theia Institute is participating in the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE) 2026, held June 16–17 at the World Bank’s Preston Auditorium in Washington, DC. Organized by the World Bank in partnership with Georgetown University, this year’s conference takes on a theme that sits squarely at the center of our work: “Jobs for the Next Generation.”

Why this theme matters for technology governance

The World Bank frames the coming decade as a defining one: a vast wave of young workers entering the global labor market represents one of the great economic opportunities of the 21st century — or, without the right policies, a source of instability. The difference, as the conference framing puts it, hinges on a single word: jobs.

That question cannot be answered without confronting artificial intelligence and emerging technology head-on. The same systems reshaping how work gets done are also reshaping which jobs exist, who can access them, and what skills hold value. Governance is not a footnote to the jobs challenge — it is central to it.

Where Theia’s work connects

At the Theia Institute, our focus on AI governance, cybersecurity, and digital trust intersects directly with the development-economics agenda in several ways:

• Skills and credentialing: equipping workers and institutions with verifiable, future-proof expertise in AI governance and emerging technology.

• Equitable access: ensuring that the benefits of AI and emerging technologies reach broadly, not narrowly — a principle at the heart of inclusive growth.

• Policy that works in practice: translating responsible-innovation principles into frameworks that governments and institutions can actually adopt.

These are not abstract commitments. They reflect the through-line of Theia’s engagement — from contributing to the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program, to AI ethics dialogues abroad, to a public comment submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s AI policy consultation.

Looking ahead

Conferences like ABCDE matter because they bring researchers, policymakers, and practitioners into the same room to test ideas against evidence. For an institute working on the governance of fast-moving technologies, that kind of rigorous, cross-disciplinary exchange is exactly where good policy begins.

We look forward to the conversations this week, and to carrying what we learn back into our work on building a more trustworthy, inclusive, and well-governed technological future.