- Tech workers worry MPs aren’t discussing AI’s impact on jobs enough
- At least MPs are looking at the tangible benefits of the NHS and ignoring the hype
- Concerns are growing that the UK is sitting between the US and the EU on AI strategy
New Teneo research has claimed that many UK tech workers are skeptical of politicians’ understanding of artificial intelligence, amid calls for tighter regulation to protect workers’ rights and human jobs.
About two in three (64%) tech professionals believe the public debate about AI is ill-informed, and a similar number (66%) believe people would be more concerned if they understood what AI was fully capable of.
With adoption increasing, the report warns that “the next few months and years will be crucial” in determining whether the UK becomes a leading AI nation or falls behind the US and other global firms.
Politicians don’t understand AI enough to regulate it
Although tech workers are generally very concerned about AI replacing jobs, the survey found that MPs discuss fraud and abuse (22%) and loss of control (24%) more frequently, while the loss of jobs (15%) and replacement of creative industries (13%) were less prominent in the discourse.
As for the current situation, Labor fears that the UK finds itself in an awkward position between the US’s aggressive AI investment strategy and the EU’s heavily regulated approach.
The research also revealed one of the biggest drivers of AI adoption in the UK is not economic dominance or rapid innovation. On the contrary, two in three (64%) politicians said that artificial intelligence helping with diagnosis, triage and treatments for the NHS was the most compelling case for adoption.
“Our research shows that what resonates most is not abstract claims that the UK is winning the ‘AI race’ or broad promises of prosperity, but a more practical argument centered on the NHS and public service delivery,” explained Teneo UK Strategy & Communications CEO Andrew Feldman.
Ultimately, the report argues that AI companies and policymakers should focus less on the AI hype and more on the practical benefits people and public services can get.
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