The US Federal Reserve vice chairman for supervision, Michael Barr. EPA
The US Federal Reserve vice chairman for supervision, Michael Barr. EPA
The US Federal Reserve vice chairman for supervision, Michael Barr. EPA
The US Federal Reserve vice chairman for supervision, Michael Barr. EPA

Top Fed official says AI’s short-term potential is overhyped and warns of wide-scale risks


Kyle Fitzgerald
  • English
  • Arabic

A senior US Federal Reserve official on Wednesday warned that some of the attributes that make generative artificial intelligence attractive also pose risks to the financial system, including market manipulation.

The Fed's vice chairman for supervision, Michael Barr, said the popularity of generative AI could result in “herding behaviour” that could increase market volatility.

“Speed, automaticity and ubiquity could generate new risks at wide scale,” Mr Barr said at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. “As GenAI agents will be directed to maximise profit, they may converge on strategies to maximise returns through co-ordinated market manipulation, potentially fuelling asset bubbles and crashes.”

He also suggested regulators should monitor GenAI's effects on economic and political institutions, as it could concentrate power “in the hands of the very few and could lead to the gains being realised only by a small group, while the rest are left behind”.

The advanced technology could also entice non-banks to “be more nimble and risk-forward”, potentially pushing them into less-regulated territory.

Mr Barr played down the near-term potential gains of GenAI as “overhyped” in warning that failure for the new technology to achieve those breakthroughs could lead to a market correction.

AI gains have fuelled a bull run on Wall Street, with money pouring in to the Magnificent 7, the group of big tech firms that investors are hoping will deliver significant advances in artificial intelligence.

Conversely, Mr Barr suggested that the longer-term view of AI is “under-appreciated”.

One of the biggest questions surrounding AI is its impact on the labour market. An analysis from the International Monetary Fund reports that 40 per cent of global employment is exposed to AI risk.

When pressed on AI's effects on global employment, Mr Barr said history shows the labour market adjusts to new technology. "But it is a very painful adjustment,” he said.

Barr defends stepping down

Mr Barr also defended his decision to step down from his role as vice chairman for supervision, the Fed's bank regulator role.

He announced his decision last month after President Donald Trump threatened to sack him. Mr Barr at the time maintained the President did not have the legal authority to fire him, but said he wanted to avoid the distraction a prolonged legal battle would bring.

“That distraction would have prevented us from doing our job … and to me, it wasn't worth it, so I decided to step down from the vice chair role,” Mr Barr said.

There are fears that Mr Trump would try to impose his will on the Federal Reserve, which has independence from the political trappings of Washington. Fed chairman Jerome Powell has maintained that Mr Trump will have no say on the central bank's monetary policy decisions and that he does not have the authority to fire him.

Mr Barr will retain his role as a governor on the Federal Reserve Board. His term expires in 2032.

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PROFILE OF SWVL

Started: April 2017

Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport

Size: 450 employees

Investment: approximately $80 million

Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani

'Shakuntala Devi'

Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra

Director: Anu Menon

Rating: Three out of five stars

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

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Abaya trends

The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Full time contracts

Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid

Part time contracts

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The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)

Engine 5.2-litre V10

Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch

Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm

Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est) 

About Karol Nawrocki

• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.

• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.

• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.

• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

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Our legal advisor

Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation. 

Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.

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Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

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Stage 7:

1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29

2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time

3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious

4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep

5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM

General Classification:

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35

3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02

4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42

5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45

THE SPECS

      

 

Engine: 1.5-litre

 

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

 

Power: 110 horsepower 

 

Torque: 147Nm 

 

Price: From Dh59,700 

 

On sale: now  

 
Updated: February 18, 2025, 8:58 PM`