Mayor announces tech pioneer Baroness Lane-Fox as Chair of new London AI and Jobs Taskforce

• Taskforce will review impact of AI on jobs in London
• Mayor’s approach to AI rooted in realism - clear-eyed about the potential perils, while enthusiastic about possibilities
• Mayor confirms appointment at Bloomberg CityLab summit in Madrid

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has today announced that pioneering technology entrepreneur, Baroness Martha Lane-Fox has been appointed as Chair of his new London AI and Jobs Taskforce. 

The Mayor has been clear that London needs to be at the forefront of harnessing the huge potential positives of AI to ensure it benefits society, rather than allowing it to shape us to our detriment. 

His new London AI and Jobs Taskforce will bring together expertise from within government, the business community, trade unions the skills sector and the AI industry. He is also rolling out online AI training later this year, to ensure Londoners can upskill and take advantage of this new technology. 

The Taskforce will examine how AI is already beginning to reshape work in London, identify the most significant near-term risks and opportunities for Londoners and employers, and advise on the practical actions needed to strengthen skills, protect pathways into work and support broad-based growth. It will also consider how work is changing now, who is being left behind and what immediate interventions would make a difference. 

The Mayor confirmed the appointment of Baroness Lane-Fox today at the Bloomberg CityLab Summit in Madrid. CityLab is a high-profile annual meeting of mayors and city leaders discussing how best to confront urgent shared challenges and the role of cities in shaping a brighter future. 

Baroness Lane-Fox has been at the forefront of the technological revolution and is best known for co-founding lastminute.com in 1998. She is a champion of ethical and inclusive approaches to AI, highlighting how AI can expand digital capability and arguing that access must include the skills to build and adapt emerging technologies.

She is a former UK digital champion and helped create gov.uk and is a long‑standing advocate for diversity in tech, calling for underrepresented groups to shape future AI policy and development. 

Also confirmed as members of the Taskforce are: 

• Anna Thomas MBE (Deputy Chair) - co‑founder of the Institute for the Future of Work which ensures AI and technological change improve work for everyone. She advises Government, the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the World Economic Forum on AI governance, with a focus on equality and fairness.
• Professor John Amaechi OBE - organisational psychologist and founder of APS Intelligence Ltd. Professor of Leadership at the University of Exeter Business School and bestselling author. He advises senior leadership teams on workforce capability, role design, and the behavioural conditions that determine how organisations and their people adapt as technology reshapes work.
• Angie Ma – co-founder of Faculty, Europe's leading applied AI company, which recently acquired unicorn status after being bought by Accenture.
• Caroline Al-Beyerty - Chamberlain and Chief Financial Officer of the City of London Corporation, where she oversees financial management, investments, digital information and technology services, and commercial operations. Caroline is the first woman to ever hold this role in the City of London.
• Gaia Marcus - Director of the Ada Lovelace Institute, which works to ensure the benefits of data and AI are justly and equally distributed and enhance individual and social wellbeing. She was formerly Deputy Director at the Spatial Data Unit within the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). In this role, she led on ensuring that data and data-driven analysis were used to support policymaking and service delivery.
•  Adam Cantwell-Corn -  AI and tech policy lead at the Trades Union Congress - supporting labour movement strategy and developing policy to ensuring AI and new technologies benefit workers and society at large.
• Sara Gorton -  Regional Secretary of UNISON, leading the union’s work to defend and improve jobs, pay and services in London.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping our economy and society. It presents real opportunities – from driving economic growth to improving public services – but also brings with it new challenges, including the potential impact on London’s labour market.

 “My approach to AI is rooted in realism - being clear-eyed and pragmatic about the potential perils, while also being alert to – and enthusiastic about – the amazing possibilities.

 “It’s why today, I am pleased to confirm that tech trailblazer Baroness Martha Lane-Fox will chair my new London AI, Jobs and Opportunity Taskforce.

 “The Taskforce will recommend action to support Londoners to acquire the skills they’ll need for the future. It will also ensure we’re seizing the opportunities of AI to boost productivity, improve public services, and create new, high-quality jobs for our communities as part of my work to build a fairer, safer and more prosperous London for everyone.”

 Baroness Martha Lane-Fox, said: “London has always thrived by combining creativity, openness and reinvention. AI is bringing incredible opportunities, but also real disruption. This taskforce will look at where work is changing now, where London should lean in with more ambition, and how we make sure the benefits are shared more widely rather than felt only by those already ahead.” 

Anna Thomas MBE, said: "I'm delighted to join the Mayor's London AI and Jobs Taskforce at such a pivotal moment. This is the most important economic and social challenge of our era, and London has a unique opportunity to lead the world in AI for Good, by improving working lives and productivity at the same time -for everyone." 

Professor John Amaechi OBE said, "The real question about AI in London isn't what it will do to jobs. It's what leaders choose to do alongside it. The risk is that the pressure to adopt moves faster than the investment in the people doing the work, and that's a leadership question, not a technical one. It's one we can still get ahead of. The choices London makes now, about where AI goes in the workplace, what ethical limits we set on it, and who carries the demand to adapt, will shape the skills Londoners build and the working lives they lead for years to come. This next phase of work should be one they're part of, not one that simply happens to them."

Angie Ma, said: "The prize of safe, widespread AI adoption is vast: cheaper, faster public services, rapid economic growth, and children better off than their parents. But that will only materialise if we make good decisions now - both to harness AI's benefits and to mitigate the risks. Looking forward to helping the Mayor do exactly this for Londoners."

Gaia Marcus, said: “For AI to work for the diverse publics that make up London, it’s vital to look beyond the hype. We must instead examine the evidence of what's happening on the ground, and explore ways to realise positive, pluralist visions for the future. I am excited to help develop a clearer view of how AI technologies are shaping the world of work – and to ensure that people and society are placed at the centre of decisions made by the taskforce.”   

Adam Cantwell-Corn, said: “AI presents significant uncertainty for workers, but unmanaged disruption is neither inevitable nor acceptable. We still have the chance to decide how it's used and ensure it benefits us all, not just a powerful few. What history makes clear is that rapid technological advancement only delivers widespread social benefits when working people are empowered. That's exactly what we aim to support the Mayor's taskforce to do."

Caroline Al-Beyerty, said: “London’s future will be dictated by advances in AI – and we need to be ambitious if we are to seize the opportunities of this evolution. Firms across the Square Mile are at the sharpest edge of change, but many are still early in their AI journey, so supporting workforce transition now – to ensure that people aren’t left behind – is critical. I have seen first hand how digital transformation can unlock more efficient and resilient organisations. I look forward to contributing to this taskforce, with a focus on accelerating workforce upskilling, keeping pace with an AI-enabled age, and protecting pathways into work for young people.”

Last year, the Mayor launched his Inclusive Talent Strategy with London Councils to ensure Londoners are equipped with the skills they need to harness the benefits of AI for higher-paid jobs. This strategy is the key to closing the skills gap and ensuring Londoners, no matter their background, have the opportunity to get the skills they need to get a good job and a secure career.