Tech entrepreneur Baroness Fox will lead Mayor of London’s taskforce to review impact of AI on employment across the capital.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has appointed the chair of his new London AI and Jobs Taskforce. Tech pioneer Baroness Lane-Fox is probably best known for co-founding lastminute.com in 1998.
Photo by Ming Jun Tan / Unsplash
She has long championed ethical and inclusive approaches to AI, is an advocate for the ways in which AI can expand digital capability, but argues that access must include the skills to build and adapt emerging technologies. She is a former UK digital champion, helped create gov.uk and is a long‑standing advocate for diversity in tech.
The new taskforce will investigate how AI is already starting to reshape work across London. It will identify the most significant near-term risks and opportunities for employers and employees in the capital, and advise on practical actions needed to strengthen skills, protect pathways into work and support broad-based growth.
In addition, the taskforce will consider how work is changing now, who is being left behind and what immediate interventions would make a difference.
Other members of the new taskforce include deputy chair Anna Thomas MBE, co‑founder of the Institute for the Future of Work which ensures AI and technological change transforms working lives for good. She will be joined by: organisational psychologist Professor John Amaechi OBE; Angie Ma, co-founder of AI company Faculty; Caroline Al-Beyerty, chamberlain and chief financial officer of the City of London Corporation; Gaia Marcus, director of the Ada Lovelace Institute; Adam Cantwell-Corn, AI and tech policy lead at the Trades Union Congress; and Sara Gorton, regional secretary of UNISON.
Baroness Lane-Fox, says: ‘London has always thrived by combining creativity, openness and reinvention. AI is bringing incredible opportunities, but also real disruption. This taskforce will look at where work is changing now, where London should lean in with more ambition, and how we make sure the benefits are shared more widely rather than felt only by those already ahead.’
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, adds: ‘Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping our economy and society. It presents real opportunities – from driving economic growth to improving public services – but also brings with it new challenges, including the potential impact on London’s labour market. My approach to AI is rooted in realism – being clear-eyed and pragmatic about the potential perils, while also being alert to – and enthusiastic about – the amazing possibilities.
‘It’s why today, I am pleased to confirm that tech trailblazer Baroness Martha Lane-Fox will chair my new London AI, Jobs and Opportunity Taskforce. The taskforce will recommend action to support Londoners to acquire the skills they’ll need for the future. It will also ensure we’re seizing the opportunities of AI to boost productivity, improve public services, and create new, high-quality jobs for our communities as part of my work to build a fairer, safer and more prosperous London for everyone.’
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