AI places at least 'two million London jobs' at risk
At least 46% of workers in London could see their job's functions entirely or partly automated by GenAI, report says
More than two million jobs in London are at risk of being fully or partially automated by AI, according to a new report by City Hall.
At least a million jobs are "highly or significantly exposed" to the impact of AI, the report said.
That includes more than 300,000 administrative roles which are most at risk because "their clerical tasks align mostly closely with GenAI capabilities".
An additional 748,000 could see the impact of AI vary across tasks, including jobs in IT, data and secretarial work.
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The Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, warned AI could cause "significant harm" to London's labour market "if we take a hands-off approach".
Women, who disproportionately perform administrative and clerical jobs, would be more exposed to AI, along with those with higher educational qualifications.
The jobs least at risk include barbers, driving instructors, florists, undertakers, architects and chief executives.
At least 46 per cent of employed Londoners - 2.4 million - could see their jobs partly automated by GenAI, the report by economist Jeff Dwan-O'Reilly said.
It warned this did not imply "no impact" for the 54% of workers who are in jobs less exposed to AI.
A higher proportion of jobs in London are vulnerable to AI automation than the UK average - 46 per cent compared to 38 per cent.
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who now advises AI firm Anthropic and Microsoft, recently claimed AI was leading to fewer jobs for young people.
"There are reasons to be worried and think about the future. But we are able to do something about this," he said.
Sir Sadiq is expected to tell a summit next week that "a high degree of exposure does not necessarily mean job losses".
He will allay fears about automation, stating the "research indicates there's every chance that AI will augment and assist the Londoners working in these roles, rather than eliminating their jobs completely."
However he will tell the Bloomberg CityLab Summit of mayors and policymakers "we cannot afford to be complacent" given the number of workers potentially exposed.