By Christian Abbott

Copyright birminghammail

Generation Z is going to face a challenge no generation has fought before it: losing their jobs to artificial intelligence (AI). Corporations are continuing to invest in AI rather than new hires, allowing them to fill skills gaps and reduce staff numbers. A report by the British Standards Institution (BSI) surveyed more than 850 business leaders across seven countries: the UK, US, France, Germany, Australia, China and Japan. Read more: Major UK bank offering free £900 to new customers but you’ll need to be quick The survey found that four in 10 (41 per cent) of bosses said AI was allowing them to cut the number of employees. 31 per cent said their organisation was looking at AI solutions before considering hiring a person, while two-fifths are anticipating this eventuality in five years. Susan Taylor Martin, chief executive of BSI, said: “AI represents an enormous opportunity for businesses globally, but as they chase greater productivity and efficiency, we must not lose sight of the fact that it is ultimately people who power progress. “Our research makes clear that the tension between making the most of AI and enabling a flourishing workforce is the defining challenge of our time. “There is an urgent need for long-term thinking and workforce investment, alongside investment in AI tools, to ensure sustainable and productive employment.” HMRC is relying on AI more and more after it discovered a “landing zone to help us safely exploit” the technology, according to its annual report. HMRC has used AI for a variety of activities including testing the technology’s ability to provide a summary of calls to HMRC helplines. HMRC has “explored call summarisation to support telephony advisers, [by] testing the ability to reduce the time spent on customer call wrap-up through real-time call summaries, and better categorising calls”, the report says. The change includes “modernised recruitment by introducing innovative artificial intelligence products that simplify and improve the vacancy-holder experience and reduce the time spent by hiring managers in the recruitment process”. “We have built and introduced ‘Skill Scribe’ for hiring managers to make it easier to write adverts, interview questions and provide outreach support,” the report adds. “We’ve also developed a regional insights tool that gives real time location information to aid with labour market analysis.”