Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation is having a positive impact on the world of work with around three quarters of firms in the UK reporting they had adopted the new technology.

According to a new report by the Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW), Imperial College London and Warwick Business School, around 860 firms said they were using AI and automation. Some 78 per cent of these said new jobs had been created due to the new technology, with 47 per cent said some jobs had been eliminated due to AI.

The report however identifies a varying range of adoption in different parts of the UK, adding that the technology could be detrimental to job quality if the adoption is handled poorly.

The research says it is important to look beyond the “dramatic, speculative headlines about AI and autonomous robots eliminating jobs,” and address choices about how the design, development and deployment of technology impacts the quality of work and demand for skills.

Elsewhere in the report, it notes that mall businesses are investing in new technology at the same rate as larger firms. The IFOW advised that the government should invest above current regional averages and incentivise firms to adopt technologies in ways that are associated with better work outcomes.

Anna Thomas, co-founder and director at IFOW, said that the adoption of AI technology could lead to net job creation and help solve the UK’s productivity puzzle.

“We now have clear evidence that securing more jobs, and better-quality ones, can be achieved with regional investment in education and infrastructure to make every area of the UK ‘innovation ready’ and by firms committing to engaging workers when investing in automation and AI,” she said.

“With the AI Summit fast approaching, the government must act urgently to regulate, legislate and invest so that UK firms and workers can benefit from this fast-moving technology.”

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