AI ‘could replace 70% of tasks in computer-based jobs’

Jobs reliant on computer-based tasks such as project management, marketing and admin support are most likely to be reshaped by the emergence of AI, according to the IPPR’s latest report. (Freepik pic)

LONDON:

As much as 70% of tasks in computer-based jobs could be transformed or replaced by artificial intelligence, according to a new study reported by PA Media/dpa.

Experts from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) in the United Kingdom said AI is likely to have a “seismic impact” on the economy and society.

According to its new report on the technology, jobs reliant on computer-based tasks such as project management, marketing and administrative support are most likely to be reshaped by the emergence of AI.

The think tank has called for greater government intervention on the issue, warning that current AI policy is too focused on accelerating uptake and safety, and not on the “implications of powerful AI”.

The study’s analysis of 22,000 common tasks performed by workers found that up to 70% of these types of roles could be significantly transformed or replaced by the technology.

It said AI would likely have the greatest impact on organisational, strategic and analytical tasks.

AI a boon or bane?

There has been ongoing debate on the technology’s potential impact on the global jobs market, with many warning of the danger of humans being displaced from work.

However, others, including a number of tech executives, have said the aim of AI is to help workers with tasks and streamline their workloads, rather than replace them.

In recent weeks, ChatGPT maker OpenAI has also launched its first of what are known as AI agents – AI tools that can be programmed to carry out specific tasks autonomously: a new branch of the tech, which many see as having a substantial impact on both working and daily life.

And last year, a previous IPPR report warned that as many as eight million UK jobs could be at risk of being lost to AI in the “worst-case scenario”.

Elsewhere in its latest study, the think tank said wider society is already being changed by AI, with approximately 930,000 people in the UK said to have a digital companion on the app Character.AI. It added that many users had “relationships” with these chatbots.

The IPPR warned that while these AI companions can provide emotional support, they also carry risks of addiction and potential long-term psychological impacts, particularly for young people.

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AI ‘could replace 70% of tasks in computer-based jobs’

Findings by the UK's Institute for Public Policy Research says the tech is likely to have a 'seismic impact' on economy and society.