Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the automation of jobs on (a) women, (b) BAME people, (c) disabled people and (d) people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Through our Industrial Strategy, we are exploring how to utilise technological change to improve participation and progression in the labour market, for people from under-represented groups. This includes those with BAME backgrounds, people with disabilities and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Embedding AI across the UK will create thousands of good quality jobs and drive economic growth. A recent study found digital technologies including AI created a net total of 80,000 new jobs annually across a population similar to the UK[1].

Building on the recommendations of the Royal Society and British Academy review, we are creating the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, dedicated to informing decisions on stewardship for the uses and impacts of new data technologies.

[1] Mckinsey (2017), ‘Shaping the future of work in Europe’s 9 digital front-runner countries’ https://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/europe/shaping-the-future-of-work-in-eu-ropes-nine-digital-front-runner-countries