London is expected to be particularly affected by advances in the technology because of its high proportion of jobs in finance, professional services and the creative industries.
AI adoption is growing rapidly as companies turn to the tools for use in areas ranging from software development to customer service. Many are also experimenting with AI agents that can perform a number of complex tasks.
The OECD found that three quarters of jobs in London were “highly exposed” to AI, meaning that more than half of their daily tasks can be performed by a bot.
There are 4.9 million people employed in London, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The crisis is especially acute in the capital’s dominant financial services sector, with repetitive white-collar administrative roles at particular risk of automation.
It comes as the Office for Budget Responsibility warned that 3.4 million people across the UK could lose their jobs because of AI in the next 10 years.
The fiscal watchdog warned that around 10pc of the nation’s labour force “could be exposed to substitution from AI” by 2036.
They added that a further 30pc, or around 10.2 million people, are likely to see their work complemented by AI within a decade as the technology develops rapidly and carries out workers’ tasks.
The big four accountancy firms – KPMG, Deloitte, PwC and EY – have all said they are cutting junior employee numbers because AI can complete the kind of work that would typically be done by graduates.
The OECD said: “Regions with high concentration of employment in industries such as ICT, finance and education and occupations using cognitive and non‑routine tasks tend to have higher AI exposure.”
The Paris-based think tank also found that Britain had one of the highest rates of exposure to AI among the 38 OECD countries, behind only Luxembourg.
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