Sir Keir Starmer is set to pledge that no community will be “left behind in the tech revolution,” as he unveils new AI tools aimed at assisting jobseekers into employment.
Concurrently, the Prime Minister will promise to make technology work “for everyone, not just the privileged few” in a speech detailing government plans to prepare the workforce for a changing employment market.
A new “AI assistant,” announced on Monday, will be trialled online for approximately three months. Designed to offer 24/7 guidance on career development and job applications, it includes a “CV builder” feature. Officials hope this tool will serve as a “jobcentre in your pocket” for those seeking employment.
Ahead of the speech, Sir Keir said: “No-one doubts the huge potential of tech to change lives. But we have to decide who that change is for.
“This Government’s choice is clear: the tech revolution must work for everyone, not just a privileged few.
“We’re backing British businesses to lead the way, driving growth and investment that turns into more jobs and stronger communities.
“And we’re using tech to bring opportunity to every corner of the country – helping people into work, tackling inequalities, boosting skills and building a fairer future.”
The speech comes at the start of London Tech Week, which will bring together ministers and industry experts in the UK capital to discuss how technological changes will shape society.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall announced a range of measures aimed at allowing young people to gain the skills that will help them to secure employment, with some 400,000 across the most disadvantaged schools to be offered AI and tech training.
An AI “bootcamp scheme” will be rolled out across England over the summer to provide those who are at risk of becoming unemployed and out of education and training with resources they may need to find work.
Meanwhile, Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the state will “aggressively” take bigger stakes in fast-growing UK firms, signalling a new wave of corporatism as the Government seeks to hold on to flourishing companies moving overseas to scale.
“You are going to start to see us take more risks, upping the risk threshold in our desire to back British innovation as it scales. I want us to be aggressively ambitious,” he told the Sunday Times.
The approach is an effort to reverse the “brain drain” of successful UK businesses looking abroad, of which Cambridge-based computer chip designer Arm’s decision to list on the US Nasdaq exchange is the most prominent case.
Mr Kyle said: “We lack the capital in the private markets, but we have the opportunity if the Government comes out of the shadows and into the light.”
