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Food industry fourth fastest adopter of AI tech in UK
It comes after world leaders met in the UK to discuss how AI can be developed and used safely, during which prime minister Rishi Sunak said that new tools should be used as a ‘co-pilot’ to help people in their jobs instead of replacing them.
Tank found that about one in 100 (1.5%) of job vacancies required some level of experience working with AI technology, ranking below the electronics (2.79%) and warehousing & distribution (1.59%) industries.
Top player in AI
Top of the pile was the fashion industry, with 4.44% of current vacancies looking for someone knowledgeable in AI.
Martin Harris, head of digital at digital Tank, argued that AI was transforming the employment landscape for the better.
“It is removing a lot of the labour-intensive drudge work, and giving people more rewarding opportunities to drive success at their business,” he said. “Like numeracy and literacy, we are likely to see data and AI literacy become a requirement in many technical and non-technical roles.
Man versus machine
“Emotional intelligence is, and always will be, a human trait. It cannot be replicated authentically in a machine, but it can improve the strengths of that trait by backing it up with evidence. This year, in particular, it feels like AI has come of age and because the technology is so powerful, human judgement and oversight are more important than ever.”
AI gas been employed across the food and drink industry to help lighten the workload of human employees. From its use in digital vision system to help identify foreign objects in packs, to predicting flavour trends in the year ahead, there’s no doubt that manufacturers will need to keep an eye on how this new tech will affect their businesses.
Clare Ward, partner, and Stephen Chegwin, principal associate, of law firm Eversheds Sutherland discussed some of the pros and cons presented by AI in our exclusive column.
