ADD2853 London AI and Jobs Taskforce – Londoner engagement

1.1.    The Mayor has established the London Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Jobs Taskforce to support an evidence-based, action-oriented response to the near-term impacts of AI on London’s labour market.

1.2.    AI adoption is accelerating across London’s growth sectors. This has implications for productivity, skills demand, job quality and access to opportunity. Understanding these impacts is critical to ensuring that growth is sustained and inclusive. 

1.3.    The Taskforce is focused on understanding how AI is affecting work in London (including impacts on jobs, skills, entry-level pathways and inequality); and identifying practical actions to support Londoners to benefit from change.

1.4.    This decision seeks approval for engagement and research activity that will contribute directly to the Taskforce’s evidence base. It complements previously approved activity, including Director Decision (DD) 2806: Contribution to the Institute for the Future of Work's research on AI's impact on labour markets. DD2806 supports external research and engagement to strengthen understanding of AI-driven labour market change in London.

1.5.    The proposed activity comprises:

•    a structured Londoner-engagement event, bringing together a diverse and representative group of Londoners; targeted recruitment will ensure participation from groups less likely to be captured through standard engagement approaches including younger Londoners, those in lower paid or insecure work, Londoners from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds, and Londoners facing barriers including lack of awareness, time constraints, digital exclusion and accessibility needs 
•    targeted Talk London survey activity to increase participation and improve representation, including accessible formats and targeted promotion to underrepresented groups.

1.6.    The total cost of this decision is up to £70,000. This comprises: up to £60,000 for the engagement event; and up to £10,000 for Talk London activity. The estimated cost of up to £60,000 reflects the design and delivery of a deliberative engagement event, including specialist facilitation, participant recruitment to achieve a representative sample, participant incentives, venue and accessibility provision (e.g. interpretation and inclusive materials), and analysis and reporting, within the approved budget envelope.

1.7.    The £60,000 allocation will be used to procure external support to design and deliver the Londoner engagement event and associated analysis. The Talk London survey activity will be delivered primarily using internal resource, with any additional external support procured separately, if required, in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code. All expenditure is expected to be incurred in financial year 2026-27.

1.8.    This activity aligns with the Mayor’s Boosting London’s Growth Sectors delivery plan (approved by MD3430). This activity will strengthen the evidence base underpinning the Mayor’s approach to boosting London’s growth sectors. This, in turn, will ensure that policy responses are informed by the experiences of Londoners; and reflect the diversity of the capital’s workforce.
 

2.1.    The objectives are to:

•    strengthen the evidence base on how AI is affecting Londoners’ experiences of work, skills and opportunity across London’s growth sectors
•    ensure that the Taskforce’s work is informed by a diverse and broadly representative cross-section of Londoners
•    improve participation in the Londoner engagement event and Talk London survey, including from underrepresented groups, through accessible formats and targeted recruitment to both the engagement event and survey activity.

2.2.    Expected outcomes include:

•    qualitative insight into Londoners’ perceptions of how AI is shaping work and opportunity across London’s economy
•    improved representation within Talk London survey responses, including from groups less likely to participate
•    evidence to inform Taskforce recommendations, particularly in relation to supporting growth sectors, productivity and access to good work
•    a more representative and inclusive evidence base, improving confidence that findings reflect the experiences of Londoners across different groups and communities.
 

3.1.    AI-driven changes to the labour market are expected to have differential impacts across London’s population, particularly in relation to age, gender, ethnicity and income, reflecting occupational patterns and access to opportunity.

3.2.    In line with the Public Sector Equality Duty, the design and delivery of the Londoner engagement event and associated Talk London survey activity has been designed to ensure that engagement is inclusive, accessible and reflective of London’s diverse population.

3.3.    This will be achieved through:

•    targeted recruitment to secure a representative sample of Londoners – including across age, gender, ethnicity, disability and employment status
•    a focus on groups more likely to be affected by AI-driven labour market change – including younger Londoners; those in lower-paid and entry-level roles; and those in occupations with higher exposure to automation
•    the provision of participant incentives and practical support to reduce barriers to participation
•    the use of accessible formats, including Easy Read materials, and provision for additional access requirements, where needed
•    targeted promotion through Talk London to increase participation from underrepresented groups.

3.4.    This approach will support the development of a robust and representative evidence base, ensuring that the Taskforce’s work reflects a wide range of perspectives and experiences across London.

3.5.    It will also support the development of policy responses that advance equality of opportunity; and mitigate the risk that inequalities will widen as a result of AI-driven change.
 

4.1.    Key risks and mitigation

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

4.2.    This activity supports the Mayor’s priorities to boost London’s growth sectors by strengthening the evidence base on how technological change is reshaping work, productivity and skills demand. It also supports the Mayor’s commitment to inclusive growth, by ensuring that the experiences of a diverse and representative group of Londoners inform policy development.

Data protection and 
safeguarding

4.3.    All activity will comply with GDPR and GLA data governance requirements. Any personal data collected through the engagement event or Talk London survey will be handled in accordance with GLA data protection policies. No safeguarding issues are anticipated.

Conflicts of interest

4.4.    There are no conflicts of interest to declare from any officer involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision form.

5.1.    Approval is sought to spend up to £70,000 to deliver Londoner-engagement and research activity in support of the Mayor’s AI and Jobs Taskforce. The proposed spending is financed by GLA resources, as agreed in the budget for this financial year.

5.2.    All expenditure will occur in this financial year, and all appropriate budget adjustments will be made.
 

6.1.    The next steps are as follows: