'AI can help people keep physical jobs for longer'
The debate about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on jobs is growing. The Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) reports that up to eight million workers in the UK could be vulnerable as the technology becomes capable of performing their tasks. But in Cambridgeshire, a company is using AI to try to extend the working life of people with physical jobs.
Being a mechanic can be tough on the body. There is a lot of bending, lifting and stretching in order to work underneath vehicles.
Jobs like these can lead to muscular-skeletal problems, which cause pain in the back, joints and muscles. In 2022-23 it was affecting 473,000 workers in the UK.
Some people are forced to give up jobs they love because of it, but at German Autowerks in Kimbolton they have used AI to try to prevent that.
Technicians were filmed as they carried out their everyday tasks. AI then analysed the video and identified the pressure points and potential problem areas on the body.
