Britain is preparing for the possibility of "unprecedented" AI-driven job losses, according to AI minister Kanishka Narayan. He stated that drawing up a contingency plan for severe disruption to the jobs market is a top priority, which could involve changes to labour policy and regulation.
Narayan acknowledged there is currently no evidence of an overall fall in UK employment due to AI. However, he stressed the government must "take seriously the possibility of an unprecedented impact on the jobs market," noting that official figures might underestimate the impact as companies automate tasks without explicitly attributing hiring decisions to AI deployment.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has warned that approximately eight million UK jobs could be affected in a worst-case scenario, though this outcome is not considered inevitable. Carsten Jung, an IPPR economist, indicated that around 11% of British jobs are highly exposed to replacement by AI chatbots, with administrative work being particularly vulnerable.
The government aims for greater worker involvement in the introduction of AI and has promised "much better transparency when AI and technology is adopted," according to Narayan.