London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Thursday, January 15, warned that advances in artificial intelligence could lead to “an era of mass unemployment”, saying the UK capital faced particular risks due to its job market dynamics.
Khan’s comments will feature in a speech later on Thursday addressing both the opportunities and threats posed by AI. With London serving as a hub for finance, professional services, and creative industries, the mayor said the city was “at the sharpest edge of change”.
Khan also highlighted the “huge potential benefits” of AI if used responsibly. Alongside the speech, he will announce a review into AI’s impact on London’s labour market and the rollout of free AI training for millions of Londoners.
He will call for urgent action to harness the technology before it “becomes a weapon of mass destruction of jobs”.
The broader debate over whether AI will eliminate more jobs than it creates remains unsettled. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said on Thursday that “AI is going to reshape the world of work”, adding that some jobs would be “more impacted than others”, while predicting new roles and opportunities.
The United Nations recently warned that AI and automation could intensify labour market challenges, especially for educated young people in wealthier nations seeking high-skill employment.
Forecasts point to gradual disruption. McKinsey has projected that up to 30 percent of US jobs could be automated by 2030, with 60 percent significantly altered. Analysts at Gartner, meanwhile, estimate that AI will create more jobs than it eliminates by 2027.
