Conclusion

It is striking just how much has changed in the eighteen months since Synod passed the motion which inspired this edition. Work, its future, and AI are inevitably areas of political interest as well as social concern. During its first year in office, the Labour government has brought forward legislation to introduce greater workplace protections for employees, set out plans to increase the employment rate to 80%, and made proposals intended to ensure that young adults are working, training or learning. At the same, the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has been effusive about the potential of AI to transform different sectors of the economy, improve public services, and reduce waste (with a view to saving money and cutting the size of the civil service).