A tech entrepreneur has warned politicians are not ready to deal with the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the workplace, saying charging companies to use it could limit job losses.
Charles Radclyffe, whose Welsh company develops software that completes office tasks in seconds, said policymakers were failing to grasp the speed and scale of the challenge.
He said if companies want to use artificial intelligence and automation technology, there needs to be a tax on its rollout – a “minimum wage” for robots – or leverage measures that governments can take.
The UK government said it would “monitor” the impact of artificial intelligence and “act quickly as the economy changes”.
Many political parties running in the May 7 Senate elections support the responsible use of artificial intelligence.
Radcliffe’s company has developed technology that automates office tasks and administrative work, such as filling out forms, much faster and at a lower cost than humans can.
“Every time we check out [for a month’s AI work]it’s a job in the economy disappearing and moving to data centers,” he said.
Radclyffe said some data entry spreadsheet tasks take AI 20 seconds to complete that would take humans two weeks.
“For larger companies, you might even have a department of people whose job it is to intercept these requests, and then they have a to-do list and then they go through it,” Radclyffe said.
Radcliffe added that these types of tasks are “perfect examples” of artificial intelligence, which would lead to “a shorter, less painful process” once the technology is used.
Asked about the political reaction to the pace of change, he said it was “puzzling why we don’t have a plan to be prepared in case some of the worst predictions come true”.
Companies using artificial intelligence are not necessarily cutting jobs right now, but Radcliffe said many companies are reducing the hiring of new workers as a result, warning that some people may be unemployed “for life” in the future.
He believes that taxing the use of AI will help slow corporate adoption of AI, and that governments can also intervene if the impact on human employment is particularly damaging.
Despite his booming AI business, Charles Radclyffe says politicians should be honest about how they will respond to some of the “worst predictions” [BBC]
Radcliffe said a tax on robots and digital AI workers or a “robotics minimum wage” to manage this transition would be able to “limit AI adoption and create a more level playing field”.
He warned that without urgent action, places like South Wales risked a repeat of the painful industrial transformations of the past.
“If you actually look at the individuals who are facing this transition right now, and I would say white-collar workers in places like Cardiff are absolutely on the front lines of artificial intelligence, then I think this is a very serious problem,” Radcliffe said.
A Treasury spokesman said it was “committed to helping working people benefit from AI” and was “establishing a new AI Economic Institute to monitor the impact and ensure we can act quickly as the economy changes”.
Concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence led protesters to demonstrate outside tech companies in London earlier this year [Getty Images]
Artificial intelligence and automation are already reshaping the way work is done by British Rototherm, an industrial sensor manufacturer based at Kenfig Industrial Park near Port Talbot.
“We started small…to experiment, build confidence and then gradually scale up,” said general manager Oliver Conger.
The company designs and produces precision instruments for measuring temperature, pressure, level and flow, supplying customers in approximately 90 countries around the world.
Artificial intelligence technology will “absolutely transform” Welsh manufacturing in the coming years, but it’s too early to start taxing AI workers, says Oliver Conger [BBC]
Conger said he now runs an “alien dreadnought factory” where “artificial intelligence and automation [work] Working hand in hand with our team members.”
He said this approach has yielded significant results, with productivity increasing by more than 20% in the past two years and further improvements expected.
The focus is not on replacing workers, but on changing roles, he added.
“We don’t call them AI robots, we call them AI employees.
“Roles are changing and as a business we have to support our team members through this,” Conger said.
AI-powered robots – known as giraffes because of their long necks – are a common feature at UK-based Rototherm, with automation and AI technology spread across the engineering business [BBC]
Some employees whose jobs have been automated have been upskilled to work in other areas of the business.
Conger struck a more cautious tone than others in the industry amid the broader debate over regulating artificial intelligence.
He acknowledged there was a wider discussion around tax automation but said: “I don’t think it’s time to put anything into policy yet.
“We’re in the very early stages. Let’s encourage its use.”
He believes governments should prioritize supporting adoption and increasing productivity.
Conger added that AI technology “could revolutionize Welsh manufacturing over the next two to three years” and that political support would be needed to manage the shift.
What is the position of each political party?
Welsh Labor is focused on using AI to cut bureaucracy in the public sector and build “digital infrastructure”, noting that new “AI growth zones” in Wales will support wider adoption.
It will fund innovation through a dedicated funding scheme and hopes to position Wales as a leader in “ethical AI” through a new Responsible AI Charter.
Plaid Cymru also emphasizes growth and productivity, but with a stronger emphasis on skills, worker engagement and industrial strategy.
Its plans to create a national development agency will support the growth of digital skills and ensure the adoption of artificial intelligence is “worker-led” and protects rights.
The Welsh Conservatives also highlighted the potential of AI to drive growth, particularly in modernizing the NHS and improving services.
When it comes to safeguards, the party believes AI should “augment rather than replace human work” and be used in a way that protects jobs and skills.
Reform UK took a more cautious stance, saying AI could play a role in improving digital systems for public services in Wales, but only if it is “proven safe and effective”.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Welsh Green Party have been asked for comment.
[BBC]
