Healey vows AI will not ‘leave workers behind’ in £600m Budget package

John Healey has vowed not to let AI leave workers behind as he unveiled more than £600m in investment ahead of next week’s Budget, amid mounting concerns over AI-driven job losses. The Treasury will commit £10m a year to studying the impact of AI on employment, alongside hundreds of millions of pounds for cyber security, British tech companies and domestic AI infrastructure. The announcement comes just days after Barclays revealed plans to cut 5,000 jobs as part of an efficiency drive involving AI, adding to fears that the technology could accelerate redundancies across Britain’s biggest employers. Healey said the government would take a distinctively British approach to AI , balancing its potential to boost economic growth with the need to protect workers. I understand and share the concerns of working people, so I am setting out a distinctively British approach to AI one that doesn’t leave workers behind and defends our national interest, while ensuring the benefits