Investments rise in data, AI, outpacing physical assets: UN

GENEVA: The purchase of physical assets was eclipsed last year by a surge in investment in intangible items like software, data and AI, the UN said Wednesday, describing a “fundamental shift in how economies grow and compete”.

Investment in intellectual property-backed assets grew three times faster in 2024 than investments in physical objects like machinery and buildings, which have been hit by high interest rates and a subdued economic recovery, the United Nations’ World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) said in a fresh report.