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- Tech workers worry MPs don't discuss AI's impacts on jobs enough
- At least MPs are looking at the tangible benefits on the NHS, ignoring the hype
- Concerns are rising that the UK is sitting in between the US and the EU in terms of AI strategy
New Teneo research has claimed many UK tech workers are sceptical about politicians' understanding of AI, amid a calling for tighter regulation to protect worker rights and human jobs.
Around two in three (64%) tech professionals believe the public debate about AI is poorly informed, and a similar number (66%) think people would be more worried if they understood what AI was fully capable of.
With agentic adoption rising, the report warns the "next few months and years will be pivotal" in determining whether Britain becomes a leading AI nation, or if it falls behind the US and other global firms.
Politicians don't understand AI enough to regulate it
Although tech workers are generally highly concerned about AI replacing jobs, the study found that MPs discuss fraud and abuse (22%) and the loss of control (24%) more frequently, while the loss of jobs (15%) and replacing creative industries (13%) were less prominent in discourse.
As for the current situation, workers fear that the UK sits in an awkward position between the US' aggressive AI investment strategy and the EU's heavily regulated approach.
The research also revealed one of the biggest drivers for AI adoption in the UK, and it's not economic dominance or fast-paced innovation. Rather, two in three (64%) politicians said AI helping diagnosis, triage and treatments for the NHS was the most persuasive argument for adoption.
"Our research shows that what resonates most is not abstract claims about Britain winning the ‘AI race’ or broad promises of prosperity, but a more practical argument centred on the NHS and public service delivery," Teneo UK Strategy & Communications CEO Andrew Feldman explained.
Ultimately, the report argues that AI companies and policymakers should focus less on the AI hype and more on the practical benefits people and public services can get.
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