In a speech the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, will warn that artificial intelligence could usher in a 'new era of mass unemployment' as he said the capital must be prepared
11:02, 15 Jan 2026Updated 11:05, 15 Jan 2026
Artificial intelligence could become a "weapon of mass destruction of jobs" without urgent action, Sir Sadiq Khan has warned.
The London Mayor said new technology could usher in a "new era of mass unemployment" and accelerate inequality if left unchecked. And he said the impact could be brutally felt in the capital, with more than half of workers expecting artificial intelligence to impact their jobs in the next year.
In a speech on Thursday evening he is expected to say: "We need to wake up and make a choice: seize the potential of AI and use it as a superpower for positive transformation and creation, or surrender to it and sit back and watch as it becomes a weapon of mass destruction of jobs.”
Sir Sadiq goes on: “The impact of AI on London’s labour market will be nothing short of colossal." The London Mayor announced he would be setting up a London Taskforce to carry out a rapid review on the impact AI could
He said the impact and abuses on social media show the dangers of not acting. Sir Sadiq will say: “In recent years, we’ve seen what happens when we’re too slow to respond to new technology.
"Take the social media revolution. It's come with extraordinary benefits, but without sufficient guardrails, it's saddled us with a youth mental health crisis, and a surge in online abuse. It’s unleashed a dangerous rise in mis and disinformation, and undermined our democracies.
"And just this week, we’re hearing shocking reports of X’s AI tool, Grok, being used to undress women in photos and create sexualised images, including of children. As leaders, I think we have a responsibility to protect people against the dangers of new technology. This time, we need to move faster and not make the same mistakes again.”
A report by LinkedIn this month found 70% of skills in the average job will have changed by 2030. The London Mayor wil say: "That’s four years away. So if we want to future-proof our economy, and our workforce, we don’t have a second to lose.
“A well-managed transition is going to require all of us to step up. We have a moral, social and economic duty to act."
He will announce a new taskforce will draw up recommendations on how the capital can prepare and make sure workers have the skills they need.