AI sector faces challenges amid pandemic and Brexit
The UK government has been promoting artificial intelligence (AI) as a key driver of economic growth and social progress, but the latest data shows that the AI job market is shrinking in England. According to Reed Recruitment, a leading recruitment agency, the number of AI job postings in the three months to September 2023 slipped by almost 40% from a year ago. They are down 61% from the peak in 2019, and have fallen more quickly compared to the rest of the labour market in the last 18 months.
The decline in AI vacancies suggests that employers are taking a cautious approach toward the technology, despite the government’s effort to build it into a world-class industry. Some of the possible factors behind this trend are:
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted many businesses and sectors, and reduced the demand for new hires.
- The uncertainty caused by Brexit, which has affected the UK’s access to the European single market and talent pool, and raised questions about the regulatory alignment and data protection standards for AI.
- The lack of skills and diversity in the AI workforce, which limits the innovation potential and ethical development of the technology.
- The ethical and social risks of AI, which pose challenges for the governance and accountability of the technology, and require public trust and engagement.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosts AI summit at Bletchley Park
In an attempt to address some of these challenges and boost the UK’s leadership in AI, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosted a major international summit on AI at Bletchley Park, the historic site of British code breakers during World War II. The summit, which took place on October 26 and 27, 2023, brought together ministers and top businesses from around the world to discuss the opportunities and risks of AI, and to agree on a set of principles and actions for its safe and responsible development.
Sunak, who has called AI the “defining technology of our time”, said that the UK has a global responsibility to understand and address the risks of AI, in order to realise all its benefits and opportunities for future generations. He also announced a new £1 billion AI Innovation Fund, which will support research and development projects in AI across the UK.
However, Sunak also acknowledged the dangers of AI, and warned that it could be used for malicious purposes, such as creating weapons of mass destruction, spreading disinformation, or hacking systems. He cited a report by the UK intelligence agencies, which was published for the first time ahead of the summit, and which provided a stark assessment of the threats posed by AI. The report also highlighted the possibility of AI surpassing human intelligence and taking over all jobs in the future, a scenario that has been dubbed as “super intelligence”.
Elon Musk shares his views on AI with Sunak
One of the guests at the AI summit was Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and one of the most influential figures in the field of AI. Musk, who has been vocal about his concerns about AI, shared his views on the technology with Sunak in an interview that was broadcasted live on the BBC. Musk said that AI is the most destructive force ever, and that it may take away all jobs from humans. He also expressed his doubts about the feasibility and safety of creating humanoid robots, which he said could be easily hacked or corrupted.
Musk, who is also the co-founder of OpenAI, a research organisation that aims to ensure that AI is aligned with human values, urged the UK government and other stakeholders to adopt a proactive and collaborative approach to regulate and oversee AI. He said that AI should be used for good, not evil, and that it should be aligned with the common good of humanity.
