Women more likely to work in jobs impacted by AI, report warns
A report has found that women are significantly more likely than men to work in jobs most exposed to the impact of artificial intelligence (AI).
According to data from the Greater London Authority (GLA), almost 60 per cent of jobs in London considered at risk of change due to AI are filled by women; yet women make up 45 percent of the city’s overall workforce.
It also found that 8 per cent of women working in London were in roles with a “high” risk of change due to AI, compared to 4 per cent of men. Administrative and customer service occupations are thought to be most at risk.
More than 300,000 administrative roles in the city face the highest risk because their roles are “most closely aligned with GenAI capabilities,” the report said.
The overrepresentation of women in these occupations, where productive AI is “highly skilled,” makes them more likely to be affected by the shift to automation, the report said.
However, the report emphasized that exposure is not a prediction of job losses, but instead shows where job content may change the most.
The report estimates Londoners are “significantly” more affected by AI adoption than the rest of the country, with around 2.4 million people (46 per cent) in roles where AI could automate some of their tasks. The UK average is 38 percent.
Announcing the new London AI and Jobs Taskforce on Tuesday, mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said AI presented “real opportunities” but warned it could impact London’s labor market.
“My approach to AI is grounded in realism – being open-minded and pragmatic about potential dangers, but also alert and enthusiastic about surprising possibilities,” he added.
Sir Sadiq previously warned that artificial intelligence could come into play A new era of mass unemployment and inequality.
“We should not drift absent-mindedly into a future we do not want and do not want,” he said in his annual speech at Mansion House earlier this year.
“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 to it and sit back and watch it become a weapon for mass destruction of jobs.”
Overall, the GLA found that at least one million jobs in London are “highly or significantly exposed” to the effects of AI, with young people, those of Asian ethnicity and degree holders also more likely to be affected.
It comes after new research suggested more jobs are being lost to AI in the UK than in other major economies.
Job losses due to AI in Britain were twice the international average, with a net loss of 8 per cent in the last 12 months, according to research by investment bank Morgan Stanley in January.
One of the report’s authors said the findings were an “early warning sign” of the impact of AI on the workforce.
