London launches AI and jobs taskforce with Baroness Lane-Fox at the helm

The new body will examine how AI is reshaping London's labor market, with a mandate to strengthen workforce skills and protect pathways into employment.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a new AI and Jobs Taskforce chaired by Baroness Martha Lane-Fox to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping the capital's labor market.

London, England’s Mayor Sadiq Khan has appointed Baroness Martha Lane-Fox as Chair of a new London AI and Jobs Taskforce, a cross-sector body that will investigate the impact of artificial intelligence on the capital's workforce and recommend practical interventions to close emerging skills gaps.

The taskforce brings together representatives from government, business, trade unions, the skills sector, and the AI industry. It will examine how AI is already reshaping work in London, identify near-term risks and opportunities for workers and employers, and advise on actions to strengthen skills, protect employment pathways, and support growth. Khan is also rolling out online AI training later this year to help Londoners upskill.

Khan says: "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."

He adds: "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."

The announcement was made at the Bloomberg CityLab Summit in Madrid on April 28, 2026. Howard Dawber OBE, Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Growth, shared the news on LinkedIn, noting that AI forms part of the tech growth sector in the Growth Plan produced by the Mayor and London Councils last year.

Who sits on the taskforce

Lane-Fox, best known as co-founder of lastminute.com, is a former UK digital champion who helped create gov.uk. She is currently Chancellor of the Open University and a Non-Executive Director at Multiverse, the apprenticeship platform, and at British Airways.

Confirmed members include Anna Thomas MBE as Deputy Chair, Co-Founder of the Institute for the Future of Work; Professor John Amaechi OBE, organizational psychologist and Founder of APS Intelligence; Angie Ma, Co-Founder of Faculty, the applied AI company recently acquired by Accenture; Caroline Al-Beyerty, Chamberlain and Chief Financial Officer of the City of London Corporation; Gaia Marcus, Director of the Ada Lovelace Institute; Adam Cantwell-Corn, AI and tech policy lead at the Trades Union Congress (TUC); and Sara Gorton, Regional Secretary of UNISON.

Lane-Fox says: "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."

What the taskforce will do

The body's remit covers how work is changing now, who is being left behind, and what immediate interventions would make a difference. It will also advise on practical actions to boost productivity, improve public services, and create new jobs.

Thomas, whose Institute for the Future of Work has advised government, the TUC, and the World Economic Forum on AI governance, says: "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."

Ma, whose company Faculty reached unicorn status following its acquisition by Accenture, says: "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."

Marcus, who previously led data-driven policymaking at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, comments: "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."

Leadership, not just technology

The taskforce's composition signals that London is treating AI as a workforce and leadership challenge, not purely a technical one.

Amaechi, writing on LinkedIn, framed the issue in those terms: "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."

Workers at the table

The inclusion of the TUC and UNISON on the taskforce reflects a broader push to give organized labor a seat in AI governance conversations. Cantwell-Corn says: "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."

Al-Beyerty, the first woman to hold the Chamberlain role at the City of London Corporation, says: "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."

Khan has also been invited as a Founding Mayor of a new international Mayor's AI Forum, launched by the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University. Other founding members include the Mayors of Madrid, San Francisco, Boston, Buenos Aires, Kyiv, and Bogota, along with the Governors of Tokyo and Nairobi.

Last year, Khan launched the Inclusive Talent Strategy with London Councils to help close skills gaps and connect Londoners with higher-paid roles in AI-driven sectors.