AI to replace workers in the UK after Budget, warns tech boss [Video]

The boss of one of the UK’s largest software groups said more businesses will replace workers with artificial intelligence (AI) as tax hikes announced in the UK Budget leave them searching for ways to cut costs, writes Calum Muirhead.

Steve Hare, chief executive of Sage, says companies looking to use AI to boost productivity would now step up their efforts.

“That trend towards a more digital economy was already there but in many ways, this [the Budget] accelerates it,” he said.

Newcastle-based Sage provides companies with software that makes it easier to manage their accounts.

The firm has been using AI-powered tools for several years and this year unveiled Sage Copilot, an AI assistant based on the same technology as chatbots like ChatGPT.

Hare stressed that Sage did not want to replace staff with robots but instead use its tools to “elevate the work of humans”.

“We are using machines to help …