Sadiq Khan warns AI could become ‘weapon of mass destruction of jobs’
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has issued a stark warning that AI could become a “weapon of mass job destruction” if its rapid development is left unchecked.
Speaking at Mansion House on Thursday evening, the Labor politician highlighted the significant threat emerging technology poses to the capital’s workforce.
This comes amid widespread concerns about the creation of sexualized deepfake images of women and children using Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot.
Sir Sadiq stressed the need for urgent action to “seize the potential of artificial intelligence and use it as a superpower for positive transformation and creation”, as well as to prevent “a new era of mass unemployment”.
He added that London finds itself “at the sharpest point of change” due to the “tremendous” impact AI is expected to have on key sectors including finance, professional services and creative industries.
He said: “We can hear faint rumblings of a new technological revolution, but we don’t yet know what path it will take.
Used responsibly, AI can enable us to transform our public services, increase efficiency and tackle some of our most complex challenges, from cancer treatment to the climate crisis.
“But used carelessly, it could herald a new wave of mass unemployment, accelerating inequality, and an unprecedented concentration of wealth and power…
“We should not be absent-mindedly dragged into a future that we do not want or want.
“We need to wake up and make a choice: Seize the potential of AI and use it as a superpower for positive transformation and creation, or surrender and sit back and watch it become a weapon for mass destruction of jobs.”
The survey, carried out by City Hall in November, showed that 56 per cent of London workers expect AI to impact their jobs next year.
The mayor announced a taskforce of experts from government, business, the skills sector and the AI industry to review the impact of technology on jobs to help assess how Londoners can develop their skills for the future to remain competitive in the global jobs market.
Findings from the group, whose members have not yet been announced, are expected to be released in the summer.
It will also provide free artificial intelligence training for all Londoners.
Sir Sadiq said “we have a moral, social and economic duty to act quickly” as research suggests 70 per cent of the skills in the average job will change by 2030.
He also called on political leaders to protect people against the dangers of new technology and “not make the same mistakes” with social media that “have led us into a youth mental health crisis and a rise in online harassment” “without adequate guardrails.”
He noted reports that Grok users were manipulating images of women and children to sexualize them.
X announced on Wednesday that it would block Grok from “editing images of people in revealing clothing” and prevent users from creating images that resemble real people in countries where this is illegal.
Ofcom welcomed the new restrictions but said the investigation launched on Monday would continue as it sought “answers about what went wrong and what was being done to fix it”.
Downing Street highlighted the Government’s offer of AI skills training when asked whether Sir Keir Starmer agreed with Sir Sadiq’s assessment.
A No 10 spokesperson said: “Like all technologies throughout history, artificial intelligence will reshape the business world.
“Some jobs will be impacted, more so than others, but the new roles and opportunities this will create is something we all need to embrace. That’s why we’re training 7.5 million workers, a fifth of the entire UK workforce, in the key AI skills they will need in the coming years.
“In April, we will launch new short courses for businesses in areas such as artificial intelligence and digital skills to give people the tools they need for the jobs of the future.
“This is how we build a workforce that can help shape the progression curve rather than being a passerby.”
