A researcher from Lancaster University has helped the Better Hiring Institute (BHI) to produce the UK's first guide on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) at Work, in collaboration with Arctic Shores, Tesco, Reed Screening, the TUC, Parliamentarians, and industry leaders.

Dr Huw Fearnall-Williams, a lecturer in Organisation, Work and Technology in Lancaster University Management School (LUMS), has contributed to the creation of the free guide now available to all employers.

Developed in Parliament with a Foreword by Lord Ranger, the AI at Work guidance is for all UK employers and recruitment agencies implementing and monitoring the use of AI. AI is crucial for the UK's future competitiveness and supports citizens in securing meaningful employment, so the guide addresses AI's benefits and challenges in recruitment and in the workplace, emphasising the need for proper frameworks and regulation to avoid bias and inefficiencies.

The launch of this new guide follows Dr Fearnall-Williams’ contributions to the launch of the first Artificial Intelligence in Hiringguide in 2024. The Artificial Intelligence in Hiring guide was created by the Better Hiring Institute – an independent body of experts in industry and government -along with Reed Screening, Lord Holmes, the architect of the Artificial Intelligence (Regulations) Bill, parliamentarians, lawyers, industry, and academics including Dr Fearnall-Williams.

Dr Huw Fearnall-Williams from Lancaster University Management School said: “The world of work is already being radically transformed by the development, deployment and integration of AI technologies. This new AI at Work guide takes a crucial step forward in providing stakeholders with key guidance for managing both the possibilities and risks surrounding the use of AI in the workplace. The guidance is crucial in providing much needed considerations and recommendations for employers, employees, managers and organisations.”

Keith Rosser, Chair of the Better Hiring Institute said: “AI has already arrived in the UK. Our task is to work out how best to harness its potential to drive innovation, business, and the economy, whilst at the same time ensuring better lives for our citizens. This guide focuses on the use of AI at work, and one of the best current use cases in the UK for all that is good, and for all that is less good about AI, is in the hiring process.”

Dr Fearnall-Williams is an expert in the use of AI and digital technology in workplaces and was invited to contribute to an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) - a forum for Parliamentarians from different political parties to collaborate, share information, and raise awareness about a particular subject – last year. Following the event, which was dedicated to the use of modernising employment, he was approached to support the Better Hiring Institute by contributing to the AI at Work guide.

Corinne Peart, Head of Engagement, Reed Screening said: “Our mission at Reed Screening is to pioneer the future of hiring. As one of the first employee screening companies in the UK to use AI to speed up the onboarding process, we are committed to innovation. I am delighted to have collaborated with the Better Hiring Institute, Tesco, the TUC, Arctic Shores, and Lancaster University to deliver AI at Work, helping UK employers hire quickly and safely."

The Artificial Intelligence at Work Guidance can be downloaded here.

Lancaster University Management School academics regularly engage with businesses and policymakers to shape practices and policies, inform real-world decisions, and provide evidence-based solutions to societal challenges. To find out more about life at LUMS, its MSc Management and Artificial Intelligence programme and other courses linked to AI and technology, please visit: www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums