Employment: Artificial Intelligence

Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho Excerpts

Monday 13th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

I will indeed do what my noble friend suggests and make sure that we look at the quality of the courses that are available. They are provided in concert with a large number of providers who are developing these courses to support their workers and are extending them to other workers, in particular SMEs, because we know that SMEs and other workers are those who most need to adopt AI and who may be currently lagging in this country.

[Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho (CB)]

My Lords—

[Lord Hintze (Con)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, it is the turn of the Cross Benches, then the Conservative Benches.

[Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho (CB)]

My Lords, I declare an interest as chair of the Mayor of London’s taskforce on the effect of AI on jobs in London. What we found consistently in our live data and in talking to employers is that there are crucial skills that are not being delivered right now, around the human part that goes alongside AI: critical thinking, judgment, creative ability and curiosity. What steps are the Government taking to ensure that, in a world of augmented humanity, we are developing the human skills, for young people in particular?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

The noble Baroness raises an important point. The development of technology and what can be augmented leaves the human aspect very much to the fore, which can include issues around discernment and judgment. The Government have a number of courses and training opportunities—for example, to support businesses in management. I know that the Office for Students is looking carefully at what all this means for higher education, for example, and the Department for Education has provided a range of advice to schools about this. The noble Baroness’s point is well made and is something that the future of work unit will look at, among its other considerations.