The authorities will create a brand new cross-department Future of Work Unit, increase its ambition to upskill 10 million workers in AI by 2030, and make investments £27 million in a brand new TechLocal programme aimed toward entry-level tech roles, the Science and Technology Secretary has introduced.
Delivering her first main speech on synthetic intelligence at Bloomberg on Wednesday, Liz Kendall set out how the federal government intends to place Britain to “win for Britain on AI”, whereas supporting workers via the disruption the expertise will convey.
Kendall stated AI was now “the engine of economic power and hard power” and that the UK was in a worldwide race to harness its advantages responsibly. “We are at a defining moment for Britain, our place in the world and our future prosperity,” she stated.
The newly introduced Future of Work Unit will sit inside Kendall’s division and shall be tasked with analysing the impact of AI on the labour market and coordinating motion throughout authorities. It will convey collectively the Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education, the enterprise division and the Treasury, supported by a panel of consultants.
Kendall stated the unit would guarantee authorities was not a “bystander” to fears about job losses, however actively supported folks via transition. The CBI and the TUC have agreed to participate.
Building on an current pledge to upskill 7.5 million workers, Kendall introduced the federal government’s ambition would now rise to 10 million folks skilled in AI expertise by 2030, with at the very least 2 million of these in small and medium-sized companies.
More than one million AI programs have already been delivered, she stated, via partnerships with corporations together with Accenture, Amazon, Barclays, BT, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Sage and Salesforce. New companions will embrace Multiverse, public sector our bodies such because the NHS and the Local Government Association, alongside techUK, the Federation of Small Businesses and the British Chambers of Commerce.
Kendall additionally introduced £27 million for TechLocal, a brand new programme designed to assist folks, notably ladies, transfer into entry-level tech roles via focused expertise coaching and work expertise.
The initiative goals to bridge the hole between current expertise and business demand, addressing persistent variety and entry-barrier challenges within the tech sector.
In her speech, Kendall highlighted progress made underneath the federal government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, printed a yr in the past. She stated three-quarters of its commitments had already been delivered, together with the launch of 4 AI Growth Zones and plans for a nationwide supercomputer in Edinburgh.
She reiterated the federal government’s give attention to making Britain the fastest-adopting AI financial system within the G7, reasonably than attempting to outbuild the US or China on knowledge centres. “The race we can and should win is on adoption — getting AI to actually work for people and the economy,” she stated.
Kendall acknowledged issues about AI’s influence on jobs, notably entry-level roles in finance, regulation, retail and hospitality, and warned that whereas AI would create new jobs, some roles would disappear.
“Change is inevitable. The consequences are not,” she stated, pledging that the federal government would defend communities from the errors of previous industrial transitions and assist folks transfer into “better jobs in a more productive economy”.
She concluded by calling optimism the UK’s most respected asset. “When we unleash Britain’s greatest strength, the talents of our people, there is nothing we cannot achieve,” she stated.
The speech marks the clearest sign but that AI expertise, workforce transition and adoption throughout the financial system will sit on the coronary heart of the federal government’s expertise technique within the years forward.
Jamie Young
Jamie is Senior Reporter at Business Matters, bringing over a decade of expertise in UK SME enterprise reporting.
Jamie holds a level in Business Administration and repeatedly participates in business conferences and workshops.
When not reporting on the newest enterprise developments, Jamie is obsessed with mentoring up-and-coming journalists and entrepreneurs to encourage the subsequent era of enterprise leaders.