Government must provide ‘clear direction’ on AI adoption – Personnel Today

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Up to 70% of knowledge workers’ tasks could be at risk of being transformed by generative AI, according to research from the Institute for Public Policy Research.

The think tank says there is an “urgent need” for government intervention to ensure there is a “clear direction for AI’s role in daily life”.

The IPPR’s findings are revealed as the CIPD has announced it will lead research into responsible AI adoption, in partnership with Innovate UK’s BridgeAI programme.

IPPR claims that the rapid acceleration of generative AI requires greater democratic oversight and direction, with 22,000 tasks commonly performed by workers at risk of being “significantly transformed” or replaced by AI.

It argues that current AI policy focuses too narrowly on either accelerating adoption or ensuring safety, rather than setting a “clear and purposeful” direction. Politicians, citizens and businesses must come together to define specific targets for AI, it adds.

Carsten Jung, head of AI at the think tank, said the upcoming AI Action Summit in Paris should focus on how AI policies can deliver public value.

He said: “AI capabilities are advancing at breath-taking speed. The launch of ‘AI agents’ shows AI is different from past technologies. It is not merely a tool – it is an actor.

“AI technology could have a seismic impact on the economy and society: it will transform jobs, destroy old ones, create new ones, trigger the development of new products and services and allow us to do things we could not do before. But given its immense potential for change, it is important to steer it towards helping us solve big societal problems.”

The IPPR wants governments to set clear policies on the use of AI, including tax and regulatory frameworks, establishing measurable targets and funding mechanisms. It also recommends that governments partner with the private sector and “civil society” to guide AI development.

Robust oversight is needed, it adds, to ensure AI advancements are aligned with public interest.

Jung added: “Politics needs to catch up with the implications of powerful AI. Beyond just ensuring AI models are safe, we need to determine what goals we want to achieve. This demands democratic debate and close scrutiny of how AI is deployed.

“The public will want to be involved in setting clear missions and boundaries. The promise of AI to tackle some of humanity’s biggest problems is tantalising – we all have a stake in directing and achieving it.”

At the start of this year, the government announced its AI Opportunities Action Plan, aimed at exploiting the benefits of AI for the public sector and the potential creation of more than 13,000 jobs.

Despite predictions that many tasks will be performed by AI in the future, workers are embracing AI adoption rather than fearing it – a recent poll by the CIPD found that almost two-thirds of people would trust AI to inform important work decisions.

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