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ExplainerJobs and skills
China tells officials to plan for AI job losses. What could Wales learn?
China's cabinet has told ministries and provinces to assess, monitor and plan for job losses caused by AI. The UK has set up a body to track AI's effect on jobs, and Wales's economy minister says the country needs better data. We set out what each is doing.
AnalysisJobs and skills
Five times as productive as a human? Musk’s robot claim, and what it could mean for Welsh jobs
Tesla's chief executive says a humanoid robot working round the clock should be at least five times as productive as a person, and Tesla aims to start supplying its Optimus robot to other companies around the end of 2027. So far, humanoids are in small factory and warehouse pilots. We look at the evidence, and at the 287,000 workforce jobs in Welsh manufacturing, construction, transport and storage, water and waste, and mining and quarrying: a measure of exposure, not of jobs at risk.
AnalysisAI and compute
Wales finished more homes in the year to March 2026. Could AI help planning keep up?
Recorded home completions in Wales rose 11% in the year to March 2026, though the latest quarter was weaker. England has rolled out one AI planning tool and is trialling another. We look at where Wales stands, and why its planning data may matter more than any software.
AnalysisJobs and skills
What Welsh small firms can get to start using AI
Wales advertises a 75% contribution towards eligible AI training, alongside free practical help. The opportunity is worth examining, but approval, payment terms and the right course matter.
AnalysisAI and compute
How Welsh public services are starting to use AI
NHS staff and careers services in Wales are using AI, but adoption, safety and better outcomes need different kinds of evidence.
AnalysisJobs and skills
Will AI coding destroy the software industry in Wales and the UK?
AI coding tools can now write custom software in hours rather than months, putting pressure on firms that sell off-the-shelf products. A planned UK consultation on who pays for cyber breaches could add to the strain. Whether software vendors adapt, comply or pull back is still an open question, and Welsh public services and thousands of Welsh jobs have a stake in the answer.
AnalysisTransport
Why waiting for self-driving cars costs lives
The best evidence so far says self-driving cars crash far less often than human drivers. If self-driving cars took on just a quarter of Britain's driving, we estimate about 200 lives a year could be saved, about 12 of them in Wales. We argue that every year of avoidable regulatory delay carries a human cost.
AnalysisAI and compute
Why Wales needs its own data centres, and where the Cardiff East project critics are right
On the UK Government's latest estimate, for autumn 2024, Wales had more colocation data centre capacity than anywhere in Britain outside London, with billions more in the pipeline. We make the unapologetic economic case for building the physical foundations of AI in Wales, strip away the weak arguments about why local hosting matters, and test the fierce criticism of the Cardiff East plan against the evidence.
AnalysisJobs and skills
A year after inspectors’ AI report, what has changed in Welsh schools?
A year ago, Estyn found Welsh schools trying out AI largely on their own and called for a clear national approach. Since then there has been some guidance, some training and pilot work, and a firmer line from the exams regulator. There have been no new inspection findings.
AnalysisJobs and skills
Young people are losing out on jobs. Is AI to blame?
The jobs squeeze is falling squarely on new entrants, not on the over-50s. Some commentators blame AI, while others claim firms are swapping older staff for AI-savvy graduates. The data show clearly who is losing out. They do not yet show that AI is the reason.