Here’s why Keir Starmer thinks technology will actually make us ‘more human’

The UK must ‘push past’ the debate over whether AI will take people’s jobs, Keir Starmer has said, as he argued the tech is making us more human.

Businesses and industries across the country have been transformed by the technology, which can summarise vast documents and generate text or images in a matter of seconds.

While workers and unions have expressed concerns over the impact of the sweeping change, the Prime Minister has embraced it.

In a speech at London Tech Week this morning, Sir Keir recalled being ‘really struck’ by the impact AI is having on the war in Ukraine and pushing for it to be ‘hardwired’ into the recent Strategic Defence Review.

He said: ‘I’ve set the challenge to all of my teams: show me how they can use AI — not just in the output of government, not just in partnership with yourselves and others in the delivery of services — but also in the very way we do government.’

As an example, he spoke about a social worker he met in Downing Street who told him AI is ‘slashing her paperwork and her caseload’.

The PM said: ‘She could use AI and tech to help with the parts that could be done more quickly. And from that, I’ve always said: AI and tech make us more human.

‘It may sound like an odd thing to say, but it’s true—and we need to say it.

‘Because some people out there are sceptical. They worry about AI taking their jobs. But I know from audiences like this, this debate has been had many times. We need to push past it.’

AI is expected to form a central part of the spending review on Wednesday, when Chancellor Rachel Reeves will outline plans for government budgets over the next few years.

Departments will be encouraged to use the tech to slash costs and speed up work.

But it has also played a role behind the scenes of the review. In January, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said a tool nicknamed ‘HMT GPT’ was being used to summarise spending bids from different departments.

Following a speech on AI from the Prime Minister that same month, Unite the Union general secretary Sharon Graham called for ‘proper protections from AI’s pitfalls’.

She said: ‘The introduction of AI in the workplace must be something that happens with workers and not to workers.

‘Government, employers, and unions all need to be working together to avoid the potential dangers of workplace AI.’

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