Report predicts robots could replace 250,000 British public jobs in near future

LONDON –Nearly 250,000 jobs in Britain’s public sector could be replaced by websites and artificially intelligent “chat bots” in the near future, leading to higher efficiency in the sector, according to a report released Monday by the London-based think tank Reform.

With the advancement of technology, many jobs in the public sector could be efficiently completed by machines, replacing some 130,000 administrators in the government, 90,000 administrators in the National Health Service, and 24,000 general practitioner reception jobs by 2030, the report said.

The authors believed that the move to automation in the sector could help save over four billion pounds (4.98 billion U.S. dollars) a year.

There is also a possibility that doctors would be affected by the new trend, as machines have made significant progress in diagnosing some diseases and even carry out surgical procedures, according to the report.

Meanwhile, public sector workers who hold strategic and cognitive roles can enhance their decision-making through data analytics, said the report.