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London mayor appoints chair of new AI and Jobs Taskforce
Led by tech entrepreneur Martha Lane-Fox, the taskforce will bring together expertise from government, business, trade unions the skills sector and AI industry.
At a glance
Who: London mayor Sadiq Khan; London AI and Jobs Taskforce.
What: Technology entrepreneur, Baroness Martha Lane-Fox has been appointed as chair of a new London AI and Jobs Taskforce, which will review impact of AI on jobs in the UK capital city.
Why: The taskforce will examine how AI is already beginning to reshape work in London, identify risks and opportunities and advise on the practical actions needed to strengthen skills, protect pathways into work and support broad-based growth.
When: The mayor confirmed the appointment at the Bloomberg CityLab Summit, which took place in Madrid on 27-29 April.
British businesswoman and pioneering technology entrepreneur, Baroness Martha Lane-Fox has been appointed as chair of a new London AI and Jobs Taskforce, which will review impact of AI on jobs in the UK capital city.
London’s mayor Sadiq Khan has been clear that the city needs to be at the forefront of harnessing the huge potential positives of AI to ensure it benefits society, rather than allowing it to shape things to its detriment.
Online AI training
His new London AI and Jobs Taskforce will bring together expertise from within government, the business community, trade unions the skills sector and the AI industry. Khan is also planning to roll out online AI training later this year, to ensure Londoners can upskill and take advantage of this new technology.
The taskforce will examine how AI is already beginning to reshape work in London, identify the most significant near-term risks and opportunities for Londoners and employers, and advise on the practical actions needed to strengthen skills, protect pathways into work and support broad-based growth. It will also consider how work is changing now, who is being left behind and what immediate interventions would make a difference.
The mayor confirmed the appointment of Baroness Lane-Fox at the Bloomberg CityLab Summit in Madrid. CityLab is a high-profile annual meeting of mayors and city leaders discussing how best to confront urgent shared challenges and the role of cities in shaping a brighter future.
“The taskforce will also ensure we’re seizing the opportunities of AI to boost productivity, improve public services, and create new, high-quality jobs for our communities”
Baroness Lane-Fox has been at the forefront of the technological revolution and is best known for co-founding lastminute.com in 1998. She is a champion of ethical and inclusive approaches to AI, highlighting how AI can expand digital capability and arguing that access must include the skills to build and adapt emerging technologies.
“Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping our economy and society. It presents real opportunities – from driving economic growth to improving public services – but also brings with it new challenges, including the potential impact on London’s labour market,” said Khan.
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Khan continued: “The taskforce will recommend action to support Londoners to acquire the skills they’ll need for the future. It will also ensure we’re seizing the opportunities of AI to boost productivity, improve public services, and create new, high-quality jobs for our communities as part of my work to build a fairer, safer and more prosperous London for everyone.”
Baroness Martha Lane-Fox said: “London has always thrived by combining creativity, openness and reinvention. AI is bringing incredible opportunities, but also real disruption. This taskforce will look at where work is changing now, where London should lean in with more ambition, and how we make sure the benefits are shared more widely rather than felt only by those already ahead.”
Sadiq also confirmed that he has been invited to be a founding mayor of a new international Mayor’s AI Forum being launched by the Bloomberg Centre for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Government and Policy. Other founding members include the mayors of Madrid, San Francisco, Boston, Buenos Aires, Kyiv, Bogota and the governors of Tokyo and Nairobi.
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