"AI-pocalypse Britain's welfare system is experimenting with AI to manage Universal Credit claimants - even as evidence piles up that artificial intelligence may soon be pushing more people onto benefits in the first place. The Department for Work and Pensions is exploring chatbot-style digital assistants to support Universal Credit claimants, with Permanent Secretary Sir Peter Schofield telling MPs the technology could eventually become part of frontline welfare support."
"Schofield's comments come after UK businesses reported an 8 percent net reduction in jobs linked to AI adoption over the past year, according to Morgan Stanley, the sharpest decline among major developed economies. Meanwhile, the government is expanding its AI partnerships to help citizens navigate the changing labor market. Officials recently announced that the government will work with model developer Anthropic on AI-powered tools to provide career advice and job search guidance, part of a broader effort to position automation as both the cause of disruption and its solution."
The Department for Work and Pensions is testing chatbot-style digital assistants to support Universal Credit claimants and potentially integrate AI into frontline welfare support. Automated tools aim to help claimants with applications, training options, and employment support while reducing pressure on human work coaches facing rising caseloads. Universal Credit covers unemployed people, low-income workers, disabled people, and those who cannot work full-time, so welfare demand may grow if automation displaces jobs. UK businesses have reported job reductions linked to AI, and the government is partnering with Anthropic to provide AI-powered career advice and job search guidance. Forecasts predict substantial job losses from AI and automation.
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