AI puts one fifth of London jobs at risk - report

At least a million jobs done by Londoners are either "highly or significantly exposed" to the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), a report published by City Hall says.

More than 300,000 roles in administrative roles face the highest levels of exposure and risk of automation "as their clerical tasks align most closely with GenAI capabilities", the 71-page Greater London Authority report states.

It said a further 748,000 roles in areas such as IT, data analysis and secretarial work are at risk but it "varies across tasks".

In a speech in Madrid on Tuesday, the mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan will say "if we take a hands-off approach, AI could cause significant harm to London's labour market".

Women, who are overrepresented in administrative and clerical roles, young people and those with higher educational levels are among the most exposed, the report states.

Brokers, web designers, telephone salespersons and journalists are also vulnerable.

Jobs least at risk from AI include architects, barbers, chefs, chief executives, driving instructors, florists and undertakers.

The report, authored by economist Jeff Dwan-O'Reilly, said that at least 46% of London's workers - 2.4 million - "are in roles where GenAI could automate a share of their tasks".

It states: "While 54% of workers are in roles assessed as having limited exposure – where their core tasks do not typically overlap strongly with GenAI's current capabilities – this does not imply no impact."

The UK average for roles at risk of automation is 38%.

Last week, former prime minister Rishi Sunak, now an adviser to AI firm Anthropic and Microsoft, said AI is flattening the jobs market for young people, especially in service sectors such as law, accountancy and the creative industries.

Sir Sadiq will tell the Bloomberg CityLab Summit of mayors and policymakers: "I want to be clear that a high degree of exposure to AI does not necessarily mean job losses.

"Our research indicates there's every chance that AI will augment and assist the Londoners working in these roles, rather than eliminating their jobs completely.

"But given the numbers of Londoners that are exposed – and the finding that 7% of large UK businesses have already used AI to cut staff – we cannot afford to be complacent."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk