The International Monetary Fund and Bank of England are the latest financial institutions to warn that global stock markets could be in trouble if investor appetite for artificial intelligence turns sour.

Speaking on Wednesday as finance ministers and central banks prepare to meet in Washington for the fund's annual meetings next week, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva offered some blunt advice to investors: "Buckle up: uncertainty is the new normal and it is here to stay."

Georgieva said that while the world economy was projected to slow "only slightly" this year and next, there were "worrying signs" that market shocks could soon fully test global resilience.

She pointed to the surging global demand for gold, with prices of the yellow metal reaching $4,000 per ounce for the first time

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