Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help mitigate the potential impact of AI-related professional displacement in employment for those in the late stages of their career.

The Government recognises that artificial intelligence will reshape the labour market. Our approach is to ensure that workers are supported to adapt, benefit, and continue to participate in good, meaningful work throughout this transition.

We are taking practical steps to equip workers with the skills they need through the AI Skills Boost programme, which will equip 10 million UK workers with essential AI skills by 2030. Alongside this, we are promoting forms of AI adoption that complement and enhance existing jobs. We have launched a new prize, chaired by Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor Simon Johnson, to showcase and reward businesses that are successfully using AI to raise productivity and support employees, rather than displace them.

We are also strengthening our understanding of how AI is affecting different groups of workers. The new AI Economics Institute will provide rigorous analysis of AI’s impacts on productivity, labour markets and growth. As the first government-backed institute of its kind, it will help close critical evidence gaps and ensure that policy is informed by real-world data and employer practice.