MEDIA ADVISORY
IMF Statistical Forum
Measuring the Economy in the Era of Big Data and AI
November 18–19, 2026
IMF HQ2, 1900 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC
The IMF will host its 14th Statistical Forum from November 18-19, 2026, in Washington, D.C. and online. This year’s forum will bring together policymakers, researchers, and statisticians to discuss how big data and AI are transforming economic measurement, expanding the information available for policy analysis, and transforming statistical production.
Paul Krugman, Nobel Laureate and Professor CUNY Graduate Center, will give the opening remarks, followed by a one-on-one discussion with IMF Deputy Managing Director Bo Li. Closing the Forum will be Christopher Phelan, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers (USA) and Min Zhu, Member of the Chief Executive’s Advisory Council in Hong Kong and former IMF Deputy Managing Director.
Key discussions in this year’s forum include:
- How big data and AI are transforming economic measurement
- New approaches to fiscal, financial, monetary, trade, and industrial policy statistics
- Data quality, transparency, governance, and trust in the age of AI
- How to measure AI, data, and the digital economy itself
Please click here to register for the forum both virtually and in-person.
For media queries and interview requests, please contact: Pemba Sherpa (psherpa@imf.org) and Melissa Wainaina (mwainaina@imf.org)
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