{
  "id": 10496665,
  "title": "UK needs plan in case of 'unprecedented' AI job losses, says minister",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/uk-needs-plan-in-case-of-unprecedented-ai-job-losses-says-minister",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-28T16:47:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Business",
    "slug": "bbc-business",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvj64jg5prpgo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The UK government has acknowledged the potential for significant job losses due to artificial intelligence (AI) and emphasized the need for a contingency plan in case of an unprecedented impact on the jobs market. AI Minister Kanishka Narayan stated that while there is currently no evidence of an overall reduction in jobs caused by AI, his priority is to prepare for worst-case scenarios. Carsten Jung of the IPPR think tank suggested that, in the worst case, about 8 million jobs could be negatively affected by AI. Despite AI adoption levels being relatively low so far, Jung argued that the technology would still have a more significant impact on the labour market than the industrial revolution. He estimated that about 11% of UK jobs are highly exposed to being replaced by AI chatbots, with the proportion potentially rising to 60% of tasks across the UK economy as AI becomes more sophisticated. The government needs to be ready to help retrain service sector workers and introduce measures to slow down the transition to mitigate job losses. However, implementing such policies could be costly, especially considering the UK's service-based economy. AI Minister Narayan also highlighted that women are 40% more exposed to the threat of AI job losses, as a higher proportion of them work in service jobs. The AI minister emphasized the importance of giving workers a voice in the transition to AI and promised better transparency regarding productivity gains resulting from AI adoption. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband warned against relying on tech companies to manage the safety risks posed by AI alone, emphasizing that the UK must lead efforts to manage AI risks through its G20 presidency in the following year.",
  "summary": "Kanishka Narayan says one of his top priorities is to have a plan in place if job losses are as bad as some fear.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}