Artificial intelligence （AI） has a profound impact on employment，manifesting both a “disruption effect” by replacing traditional jobs through automation，and a “creation effect” by generating new industries and job roles. AI significantly alters the structure of job tasks，expands demand for new skills，promotes human-machine collaboration，and enhances productivity. However，AI development remains constrained by its capacity to handle complex tasks and by considerations of social ethics. The impact of AI varies across industries，reshaping the job market as a whole，bringing both challenges and opportunities. Due to differences in labor supply and industry structure，AI has heterogeneous effects on labor markets across countries. Developed countries，facing labor shortages，can leverage AI to alleviate this issue，and their human capital is generally better aligned with the demands of new job roles. In contrast，developing countries，which rely on low-skilled labor in global supply chains，may see their comparative advantage eroded by the proliferation of AI，exacerbating mismatches in labor supply and demand as well as unemployment issues. Moreover，many of the high-skilled jobs created by AI are concentrated in the service sector，benefiting primarily developed countries，while jobs most susceptible to AI substitution are often in manufacturing and agriculture，sectors critical to developing countries. In the long term，the diffusion and application of AI are likely to widen employment disparities between developed and developing nations. AI’s advancement intensifies international technological competition，with developed countries reaping AI-related dividends due to their substantial investments and technological dominance，potentially reinforcing their influence in global affairs. In contrast，developing countries face dual challenges of technological barriers and disruptions to traditional development pathways，and these differential impacts raise new challenges in global governance.