Around 60% of surveyed London employers report substantial use of approved generative AI tools, while informal "shadow AI" is also widespread. But governance, workforce engagement and training are developing much more slowly than adoption itself.

The strongest evidence is not of jobs disappearing - but of work being redesigned. London's creative industries are seeing changes in demand and production, while professional services are redesigning knowledge work. The strongest evidence is of tasks and roles changing - not widespread job losses.

London is comparatively well placed to adapt to AI - but its resilience is unevenly shared. Around 600,000 Londoners work in occupations with high AI exposure and lower adaptive capacity. This is not a forecast of job losses, but it does identify where targeted support may be most needed.

London has the highest average AI exposure of any UK region - but exposure is not the same as vulnerability. Our evidence introduces a new measure of adaptive capacity, showing that AI risk depends not just on technology, but on workers' ability to adapt.

AI is already reshaping work in London gradually and unevenly. However, the impact will be determined not by technology alone, but by the choices employers, workers and institutions make now.

📣 Our last newsletter before a summer pause is here. Read below for the latest evidence on how AI is reshaping jobs in London, what the new Prime Minister's focus on devolution and innovation could mean for the future of work, and a selection of summer reads for the new government...

July Newsletter - Devolution and Innovation - IFOW

AI Taskforce(s) and IFOW's summer reads

ifow.org

Good to see the maturing of the conversation around what AI 'means' in terms of deeper infrastructure, impacts on grid load - and local people. Getting AI 'right' isn't just about use, it has to be about the full system architecture being designed for good. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Data centres could pay hundreds of millions in deposits for power demands

The regulator said a fee of between £237,500 to £712,500 per megawatt should be charged for upcoming projects.

bbc.co.uk

"The book trade is deeply split over how to handle a technology that some publishers and authors vow not to touch but which others identify as a huge opportunity that is already changing reading and listening habits." - Very good piece on #AI and #publishing: www.ft.com/content/6b52...

The new premium product: books written by people

Some publishers think AI could not only help authors but replace them

ft.com

We are delighted to see the creation of a dedicated Minister of State for the Future of Work - something that we have called for for many years, and recommended in the Final Report of the Pisssarides Review, funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org. Read the report here: www.ifow.org/publications...

The Final Report of the Pissarides Review - IFOW

The culmination of three years research, we propose a new model of human-centred automation and a new socio-economic paradigm of Good Work

ifow.org

Great to hear Baroness Martha Lane Fox on BBC World at One highlighting IFOW's research for the Mayor of London's AI and Jobs Taskforce. Responding to OECD reports that a majority of London jobs face risk, Fox drew on IFOW's Taskforce research to emphasise how AI is changing jobs, tasks and roles.

Today, the Mayor of London has accepted all the recommendations of the AI and Jobs Taskforce, following the publication of the Taskforce's report and evidence summary - backed by three months of research and engagement led by IFOW.

The conversation around AI adoption may be maturing, the FT reported this week, with organisations beginning to move beyond "tokenmaxxing", or measuring AI success primarily through usage metrics.

AI may become radically more powerful over the next decade, driving major economic transformation with significant risks and opportunities. Economists, policymakers and technology leaders must act now to build the incentives, guardrails and institutions needed to ensure it benefits society.

The world of work is changing rapidly. IFOW Associate Director Oliver Nash joined BBC Radio London to discuss how AI is reshaping jobs and skills - and why we need to focus on augmentation, not just replacement. Listen from 1:24:

Eddie Nestor - Jim Davis sits in (14/07/2026) - BBC Sounds

The best topical guests and stories in London mixed with great music and your calls.

bbc.co.uk

Our Founding Director, Anna Thomas MBE, will be giving oral evidence this afternoon at the Business and Trade, as part of their inquiry into Artificial Intelligence, business and the future of the workforce. committees.parliament.uk/event/27250/...

8 July 2026 - Artificial Intelligence, business and the future of the workforce - Oral evidence - Committees - UK Parliament

14:15 - The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House

committees.parliament.uk

What impact is AI having on employment, wages, and productivity? This is a question that many studies have explored, using different methodologies. We recently published a report aggregating these into a desk review, providing a comprehensive overview of the field: www.ifow.org/publications...

Recent methodologies on AI and labour - a desk review - IFOW

Tool on two decades of methodologies used to analyse AI’s impact on employment, wages, and productivity.

ifow.org

Very interesting report from the Climate Action Coalition's AI Solutions Taskforce on the possibility of 'Net benefit AI'. Clearly, AI is creating rising demand. But can this be offset by AI being used to drive more efficient generation? Recommended read. coalition.climateaction.org/taskforces/a...

AI Solutions Taskforce - Climate Action Coalition

Defining the responsible role for AI in the energy transition​ Purpose To determine the extent to which AI provides a net benefit in addressing climate change and supporting effective climate action. ...

coalition.climateaction.org

The availability of local training opportunities and jobs close to home is hugely significant for families, even more so than an emphasis on progression to higher education, revealed the Independent Inquiry into White Working Class Educational Outcomes this week.

Burnham's reported greater emphasis on #devolution resonates with findings from our Pissarides Review into the Future of Work and Wellbeing, funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org. Read the full report here: www.ifow.org/publications...

The Final Report of the Pissarides Review - IFOW

The culmination of three years research, we propose a new model of human-centred automation and a new socio-economic paradigm of Good Work

ifow.org

Over the past few days, we’ve been speaking to young people across Cornwall about their hopes, ambitions, and concerns for the future of work. From graduates to school-leavers, all are young people who should be embarking on pathways into good work equipped with the right skills and experience.

📣 Our June Newsletter is here, with reflections from London Tech Week exploring young people’s pathways into work and the global debates shaping AI ownership, value capture, and accountability. Read the newsletter below.

AI is reshaping work in the UK in significant and divergent ways. But less is known about how the public perceives these impacts, and how these perceptions affect democratic attitudes and behaviours. This recent Knowledge Hub shelf explores recent publications on workplace AI and democracy.

Great to see sovereign AI and the UK’s reliance on hyperscale cloud providers debated in the House of Lords this week, with Lord Tim Clement-Jones asking how the new Sovereign AI Fund and procurement policy can turn sovereign AI into real economic resilience, beyond ‘ just a slogan’.

Sovereign AI Fund - Hansard - UK Parliament

Hansard record of the item : 'Sovereign AI Fund' on Monday 1 June 2026.

hansard.parliament.uk

Nearly 1 million young people in the UK are not in education, employment, or training (NEET). IFOW Director Anna Thomas joined BBC 5Live to respond to these latest Milburn Review findings, highlighting the complex, structural challenges shaping young people's transitions from education to work.

On Monday, Minister of State for DSIT Lord Patrick Vallance spoke to hundreds at Making the Future Work about the 'very real social and human problems' surrounding responsible and successful AI adoption, drawing on his own experiences at work. The Minister's full keynote dress can be found below:

Making the Future Work - Keynote Address from Lord Patrick Vallance

YouTube video by Institute for the Future of Work

youtube.com

Fantastic day in progress at our Making the Future Work Conference, with Lord Patrick Vallance, Minister of State for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear, emphasising the need for 'good work design' to be centred in AI adoption.

On Monday, driven by four challenges, Making the Future Work will take a practical approach to the key risks and opportunities we face through the technological transformation of the future of work. More detail on key challenges and panels here:

Making the Future Work: A challenge-driven approach

As rapid technological adoption reshapes work, society, and the economy, our conference this Monday convenes leading figures from across policy, research, and industry to address one of the most cruci...

linkedin.com

📣 With just under a week left until Making the Future Work, here's what to expect from our second breakouts: 03:05-03:50PM • Are the Kids Alright? Tackling Young People and Employability • Sovereign AI? Understanding Priorities and Challenges • Thinking Globally: Challenges for AI

Making the Future Work

Convening research, firm and policy expertise to ask: how can we couple AI with human capabilities to transform working lives for good?

eventbrite.co.uk

📣 With 1 week left until Making the Future Work, here's what you can expect from our first breakout panels: BREAKOUT SESSION 1 (01:05-01:55PM): • People-Centred Adoption in Practice • The Future of Create • Technology and Democracy Full agenda detail, including speakers, and sign-up link here:

Making the Future Work

Convening research, firm and policy expertise to ask: how can we couple AI with human capabilities to transform working lives for good?

eventbrite.co.uk

📣 Making the Future Work - 18th May 🕑 14:00 - 14:50 The Institutional Challenge How can we renew regional innovation ecosystems and institutional capabilities across the UK to tackle the structural inequalities that are driving the polarisation of work and democracy?

Making the Future Work

Convening research, firm and policy expertise to ask: how can we couple AI with human capabilities to transform working lives for good?

eventbrite.co.uk