White collar workers are facing a shake up as jobs reliant on computer-based tasks like project management, marketing, and administrative support are being reshaped by AI, an analysis of 22,000 tasks commonly performed by workers has revealed.
Up to 70 percent of tasks in these types of roles could be significantly transformed or replaced by AI, according to research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).
Work involving organisational and strategic tasks, and repetitive and non-repetitive cognitive and analytical tasks are most affected, the institute said.
This raises questions about the future of work and how employers will adapt to this rapid transformation.
The findings have been released ahead of the international AI summit — attended by world leaders and the CEOs of major technology companies.
The think tank said its report highlights the urgent need for government intervention to set a clear direction for AI’s role in daily life.
It isn’t just work that AI is affecting as the research found that around 930,000 people in the UK use AI digital companions on the app ‘Character.AI’. These companions can provide emotional support. IPPR said a similar number of people may also have companions on ‘Replika’, adding that many people have had romantic relationships with these chatbots. However, the think tank warned that these digital companions can be addictive, which risks potential long-term psychological impacts, especially for young people.
Carsten Jung, head of AI at IPPR, 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 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.
“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.”
