Artificial intelligence will be net UK jobs creator, finds report

Artificial intelligence is set to create more than 7m new UK jobs in healthcare, science and education by 2037, more than making up for the jobs lost in manufacturing and other sectors through automation, according to a report. A report from PricewaterhouseCoopers argued that AI would create slightly more jobs (7.2m) than it displaced (7m) by boosting economic growth. The firm estimated about 20% of jobs would be automated over the next 20 years and no sector would be unaffected. AI and related technologies such as robotics, drones and driverless vehicles would replace human workers in some areas, but also create many additional jobs as productivity and real incomes rise and new and better products were developed, PwC said. Increasing automation in factories is a long-term trend but robots such as Pepper, created by Japan's Softbank Robotics, are beginning to be used in shops, banks and social care, raising fears of widespread job losses.