An IPPR report warns that AI could wipe out almost 8 million jobs in the UK, with young people and women most at risk on low wages.
In recent months, the risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI) have highlighted bias, discrimination, disinformation and autonomous weapons, but a new report provides a sobering reminder of the impact on jobs.
The center-left think tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), has warned in new report that almost 8 million UK jobs could be lost to artificial intelligence in a ‘jobs apocalypse’, the Guardian reported.
The IPPR warning mirrors a similar warning issued in January 2024, when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said: almost 40% of jobs worldwide could be affected by AIwhich could lead to job replacements and a worsening of inequalities.
Job Apocalypse
Before that, in August 2023, a study by strategic skills provider Corndel found that staff were increasingly worried about the impact of AI on their job securityyoung workers being particularly worried.
In June 2023, the recruitment specialist Totaljobs offered AI would fundamentally change the workplace in the United Kingdom, as well as the recruitment process.
BT announced last year that it would cut 55,000 jobs by 2030 and that a a fifth of roles would be replaced by AI.
This week, the IPPR report warned that women, young workers and those with the lowest wages are most at risk from automation.
Indeed, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research, entry-level, part-time and administrative jobs would be most likely to be replaced by AI in the “worst case” for the deployment of new technologies in all three over the next five years.
First, second wave
The think tank warned that the UK was facing a period of “sliding doors” as an increasing number of businesses adopted generative AI technologies, and the report said this first wave of adoption of AI was already putting jobs at risk.
However, a second wave could lead to more jobs being automated amid rapid advances in AI, according to the Guardian citing the IPPR report.
Analyzing 22,000 tasks in the economy covering all job types, the IPPR reportedly said 11 percent of tasks currently performed by workers were at risk. However, this figure could rise to 59% of tasks in the second wave, as technologies develop to manage increasingly complex processes.
The IPPR reportedly said routine cognitive tasks – including database management, planning and inventory – were already under threat, with the potential to displace entry-level and part-time jobs in secretarial, administration and customer services.
However, the second wave of AI adoption could impact non-routine tasks involving database creation, writing and graphic design, affecting increasingly high-paying jobs.
Government action
And the report indicates that women would be significantly more affected, because “they are more likely to work in the most exposed professions, such as secretarial and administrative professions”.
In a worst-case scenario for the second wave of AI, 7.9 million jobs could be lost, the report says, with economic gains from productivity improvements wiped out by zero GDP growth within three to five years.
In the best-case scenario, a complete increase in the workforce through generative AI, no jobs would be lost, while the size of the economy could increase by 4%, or around £92 billion per year.
The think tank reportedly said government action could prevent a “jobs apocalypse” and help harness the power of AI to drive economic growth and raise living standards.
“Already existing generative AI could lead to big disruptions in the labor market or could significantly boost economic growth,” Carsten Jung, senior economist at IPPR, was quoted as saying by the Guardian. “Either way, it’s going to be a game-changer for millions of us.” »
“But technology is not inevitable and a jobs apocalypse is not inevitable: government, employers and unions have the opportunity to make crucial design decisions now that will ensure we manage well this new technology,” Jung said. “If they don’t act quickly, it may be too late.”
