UK employers optimistic about AI, poll finds

A majority of UK employers feel optimistic about the impact of new technologies, a new poll has revealed.

A YouGov survey commissioned by the British Safety Council measured attitudes towards technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).

Polling more than 4000 employers and staff, the survey found that more than six in 10 employers were optimistic about the impact AI will have on their workforce, and around half reported the same optimism regarding AR and VR.

However, such optimism levels dropped by around 20 per cent when employees were asked, with two in 10 believing AI would replace or supersede their jobs.

That fear was not reflected in employers' answers, as only six per cent thought that more than half of their workforce could be replaced within the next decade.

Meanwhile, more than a quarter of both employers and employees said that AI would make their workplace “less safe”. This compared with the same number of employers - 26 per cent - who thought it would make it "more safe", with just 13 per cent of employees saying the same.

Peter McGettrick, chairman of the British Safety Council, has said there is “more to be done” and called for the Labour government to “incentivise” firms which invest in cutting-edge tech.

He added: “While no one can predict the future entirely, change is inevitable. This is why we’re calling on the government to incentivise companies who invest in new and developing technologies – like AR, VR, and AI – for the purposes of improving workplace health, safety and wellbeing. Alongside this, we want to see more support for training to keep people safe, healthy and well in work.”

The British Safety Council has also called on the government to put a minister for wellbeing in the cabinet.