AI could replace 70% of tasks in computer-based jobs, study says

As much as 70% of tasks in computer-based jobs could be transformed or replaced by AI, according to a new study.

Experts from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said artificial intelligence was likely to have a “seismic impact” on the economy and society.

According to its new report on the technology, jobs reliant on computer-based tasks such as project management, marketing and administrative support are the most likely to be reshaped by the emergence of AI.

The think tank has called for greater government intervention on the issue, warning that AI policy is currently too focused on accelerating AI uptake and safety, and not on the “implications of powerful AI”.

The study’s analysis of 22,000 common tasks performed by workers found that up to 70% in these types of roles could be significantly transformed or replaced by AI.

It said AI would likely have the greatest impact on organisational, strategic and analytical tasks.

The intervention comes ahead of the Paris AI Action Summit next week, where world leaders, industry experts, tech executives and academics will meet to discuss the international approach to developing and using AI.

Last month, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer unveiled the UK Government’s AI Action Plan – a range of measures designed to make the UK a global leader in AI while also boosting the economy.

That plan focused on increasing AI infrastructure in the UK to support more AI development, as well as creating growth zones around the country, advancing AI safety regulation, and using AI more within the civil service to cut spending and speed up work.

There has been ongoing debate on the technology’s potential impact on the global jobs market, with many warning of the danger of humans being displaced from work.

However, others, including a number of tech executives, have said the aim of AI is to help workers with tasks and streamline their workloads, rather than replace them.

In recent weeks, ChatGPT maker OpenAI has also launched its first of what are known as AI agents – AI tools which can be programmed to carry out specific tasks autonomously – a new branch of the technology which many see as having a substantial impact on both working and daily life.

And last year, a previous IPPR report warned that as many as eight million UK jobs could be at risk of being lost to AI in the “worst-case scenario”.

Carsten Jung, head of AI at the IPPR, warned that politics “needs to catch up” with the implications of AI.

“AI capabilities are advancing at breath-taking speed,” he said.

“The launch of ‘AI agents’ shows AI is different from past technologies. It is not merely a tool – it is an actor.

“AI technology could have a seismic impact on economy and society: it will transform jobs, destroy old ones, create new ones, trigger the development of new products and services and allow us to do things we could not do before.

“But given its immense potential for change, it is important to steer it towards helping us solve big societal problems.

“Politics needs to catch up with the implications of powerful AI. Beyond just ensuring AI models are safe, we need to determine what goals we want to achieve.

“This demands democratic debate and close scrutiny of how AI is deployed. The public will want to be involved in setting clear missions and boundaries.

“The promise of AI to tackle some of humanity’s biggest problems is tantalising – we all have a stake in directing and achieving it.”

Elsewhere in its latest study, the IPPR said wider society was already being changed by AI – with approximately 930,000 people in the UK said to have an AI digital companion on app Character.AI, adding many users had “relationships” with these chatbots.

The think tank warned that while these AI companions can provide emotional support, they also carry risks of addition and potential long-term psychological impacts, particularly for young people.