Morning, Friday, 20th November 2026
Online
This conference will examine next steps for AI in employment as its use becomes more established across the economy. Areas for discussion include practical considerations for employer adoption, responsible governance and employee protections, workforce readiness and skills, recruitment and workforce organisation impact, regional and sectoral implementation, as well as next steps for policy and regulation.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to assess implications of key policy and labour market developments. Delegates will examine strategies for addressing sectoral barriers to adoption - drawing on the six AI Champions’ Adoption Plans and the Government’s interim response in June 2026 - including skills gaps, uncertainty around governance, access to data and the difficulty of moving from individual pilots to sustained use. It also follows publication of the AI Opportunities Action Plan: One Year On progress update, as well as Skills England’s AI Skills for the UK Workforce report which outlined concerns around uneven access to AI training, sectoral and regional differences in readiness, and particular barriers for SMEs.
The agenda examines what these mean for workforce transition, employer capability and future policy decisions, with discussion on key practical implications. Attendees will consider approaches to skills development, job design, recruitment and progression, support for SMEs, and regional differences in readiness and adoption, alongside the ongoing work of the AI and the Future of Work Unit launched in January 2026.
Approaches to scaling digital skills and strengthening AI capability within the future workforce will offer further areas for discussion, following publication of the Digital and Technologies Jobs Plan in October, with an estimated 800,000 digital and technology roles needing to be filled across the economy over the next ten years. Delegates will also consider implications of the Autumn Budget’s further investment in AI - including additional funding for the AI Economics Institute and locally led approaches to AI adoption - for productivity and progression outcomes, looking at balancing effective governance and protections, as well as longer-term labour market resilience.
Governance, employer responsibilities & data protection
Sessions will examine the governance arrangements taking shape around AI at work, and what is required of employers, platforms, regulators, government, and training providers. Discussion is expected on duties and effective practice for adopting AI tools, including transparency and worker involvement, as well as practical issues of capacity, cost, awareness and implementation, particularly for smaller organisations.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- automated decisions:
- new regulations under UK GDPR Articles 22A-22D in force since February 2026 - safeguards on information, representations, human intervention and contesting outcomes
- Information Commission draft guidance published in March 2026 on automation, profiling and meaningful human involvement - further anticipated statutory code of practice
- duties: transparency with workers - testing and monitoring for bias - impact assessments and record-keeping - assurance, accountability and routes to challenge
- worker voice: consultation and involvement before deployment - engagement with trade unions and employee representatives
- smaller organisations: capability, cost and awareness - SME Digital Adoption Taskforce and AI upskilling support - infrastructure, digital literacy and workforce support
- copyright: the Government’s March 2026 Report and impact assessment on Copyright and AI - transparency and licensing - implications for creative work, freelance practice and creative employment
Workforce impact, recruitment & inclusion
Sessions will look at how policy and practice might develop as AI becomes more embedded in workforce organisation, job design, recruitment and progression. It will be an opportunity to assess priorities for workers and occupations that may be particularly exposed to displacement or task change, alongside approaches to strengthening transparency, worker involvement and access to reskilling.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- job design: workforce planning and task change - automation, productivity and the gap between reported time savings and results - job quality, pay, motivation and engagement
- recruitment and progression: use of AI in hiring and promotion processes - entry-level opportunities and early-career pathways - fairness, transparency and routes to challenge AI-supported decisions
- exposure and transition: occupations most affected by task change - access to reskilling - redeployment, internal mobility and support for displaced workers
- inclusion: implications of embedded AI use for representation in the technology workforce, particularly of young people, women and older workers
Skills, workforce readiness & place-based delivery
Sessions will assess immediate priorities for building inclusive, flexible and responsive AI learning pathways, following publication in June 2026 of Skills England’s Skills for AI: What works for AI upskilling in the UK research report, which highlighted the gap between accessibility and workforce capability. Delegates will consider the relationship between skills policy, labour market policy and workplace practice, and the respective roles of government, regulators, employers and training providers in widening AI capability across different sectors, regions and workforce groups.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- local readiness: variation in adoption, sector mix and growth opportunity - alignment of national policy and investment with local labour market needs and regional priorities
- what works in delivery: practical, modular and integrated training - linking learning to real tasks and job design - keeping provision responsive as tools and requirements change
- training offer: AI Skills Boost and the 10 million UK workers upskilled target by 2030 - Skills England’s AI foundation skills for work benchmark - free short courses - standards for accessible AI training
- funded pathways: Level 4 AI and Automation Practitioner apprenticeship - Growth and Skills Levy - workplace, further and higher education and community-based provision
- investment and place-based delivery: TechFirst and TechLocal - AI Growth Zones - lessons learned for wider regional rollout
- widening access:
- relevance of the Government’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan to provide localised support with digital access and skills - older workers, low-paid workers and those with limited digital literacy
- support for SMEs - organisational barriers to release staff for training - connecting training to local vacancies and progression routes
Future for policy, regulation & oversight
It will also be an opportunity to assess the future direction of AI policy in employment, including priorities for managing risk, developing regulatory frameworks and utilising effective practice across industry. Discussion will consider what is needed to support innovation and economic growth and enable AI adoption to be effective and beneficial for employers, workers and the wider economy.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- coordination:
- role and remit of the AI and Future of Work Unit - the new AI Economics Institute - priorities for labour market evidence, data collection, and monitoring
- the PM’s AI Taskforce - alignment with skills, employment and technology policy - external research partnerships
- data regulation: the Government’s call for evidence on data regulation in the age of AI - adaptability of the framework to agentic AI - potential for further guidance, targeted change or wider reform
- regulatory direction: sector-led approaches and regulator capacity - proposals for statutory rights on AI use at work - balancing innovation, competitiveness and employment protections
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade; Department for the Economy, NI; Department for Transport; Department for Work and Pensions; Intellectual Property Office; National Wealth Fund; Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, ROI; the Welsh Government; and The Scottish Government.
