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More than a quarter of workers are worried that artificial intelligence will cause job losses, prompting a warning that employers must develop clear policies on its deployment.
Acas, the public body that advises on workplace relations and dispute resolution, said businesses needed to have “open conversations” with staff about how they intended to use AI after a survey by the group found widespread concerns.
The poll of 1,023 employees found 26 per cent of staff feared AI would result in job cuts, while 17 per cent were worried about AI making errors, and 15 per cent were concerned about the consequences of weak regulation of the technology.
Acas said: “Employers should develop clear policies regarding the use of AI in the workplace and should consult employees and any representatives on its introduction. If there is an expectation that certain roles begin using AI, that could mean a change of terms and conditions.”
The body, which was recently called in to mediate talks between Birmingham city council and striking bin workers, added that employers investing in AI should “highlight how it can improve employees’ roles and reassure staff that human involvement will still be needed”.
There have been widespread predictions of significant job losses as a result of AI, although the forecasts vary widely. The Institute for Public Policy Research warned last year that almost eight million UK jobs could be lost to artificial intelligence in a “jobs apocalypse” and that younger workers and those on lower wages were most at risk.
Tony Blair’s think tank has predicted that AI could displace up to three million private sector jobs in the UK but it said this would occur gradually and would be “relatively modest” on an annual basis.
Blair’s Institute for Global Change said last year that the rise in unemployment was likely to be capped and ultimately offset as AI created demand for workers, which would pull displaced workers back into the workforce.
Responding to the Acas research, Neil Carberry, chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, said: “AI will transform the job market, but history shows technology creates new opportunities even as it disrupts existing roles. Instead of fearing change, we must focus on new skills for workers and preparing for the jobs of tomorrow.”
Carberry said that Skills England, a new government body being established to identify and tackle skills gaps, would have a key role to play in improving people’s digital skills as the technology progresses.