A new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) reveals the significant impact generative AI is having on UK society, both professionally and personally, with up to 70 per cent of knowledge economy tasks at risk of being transformed by AI technology.
On the eve of the international AI summit in Paris – set to be attended by world leaders and the CEOs of major technology companies - AI progress continues to accelerate at an unprecedented pace and is poised to have a seismic impact on society. And according to the IPPR, this transformation necissitates greater democratic oversight and direction and highlights the urgent need for government intervention to set a clear direction for AI’s role in daily life.
The report argues that generative AI is reshaping the workplace, particularly within the knowledge economy - jobs reliant on computer-based tasks like project management, marketing, and administrative support. IPPR’s analysis of 22,000 tasks commonly performed by workers found that up to 70 per cent of tasks in these types of roles could be significantly transformed or replaced by AI.
AI has the greatest impact on “organisational and strategic tasks” as well as “repetitive and non-repetitive cognitive and analytical tasks,” raising questions about the future of work and how businesses adapt to this rapid transformation.
Beyond the economy, society is already being changed by AI. Approximately 930,000 people in the UK have AI digital companions on the app ‘Character.AI’, while a similar number may also have companions on ‘Replika’. Many users have had romantic relationships with these chatbots, the repot notes, and while these companions can provide emotional support, they also carry risks of addiction and potential long-term psychological impacts, especially for young people.
IPPR argues that current AI policy is too narrowly focused on either accelerating AI adoption or ensuring its safety, while neglecting the critical need for setting a clear and purposeful direction for AI adoption. The report advocates for a "new politics of AI", where politicians, citizens, and businesses collaborate to define specific missions and targets for AI deployment to achieve.
The upcoming Paris AI Action Summit presents an opportunity for policymakers to shift the focus toward mission based AI policies that deliver public value. This means leveraging AI innovation to address pressing societal challenges, such as improving healthcare, combating climate change, and enhancing education.
IPPR advocates for a mission-based approach, where governments:
- Set clear policies, including tax policy and regulatory frameworks
- Establish measurable targets and funding mechanisms alongside timelines
- Partner with private sector and civil society to guide AI development
- Ensure robust oversight to keep AI advancements aligned with public interest
“AI technology could have a seismic impact on economy and society,” said Carsten Jung, head of AI at IPPR. “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.”