IFOW

The Institute for the Future of Work (IFOW) is an independent UK research organisation focused on the impact of new technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and automation, on work, employment and labour-market policy. IFOW conducts research, convenes policy dialogue and publishes practical guidance for employers, workers and policymakers navigating technological change in the workforce. It positions itself as a bridge between academic research and applied policy recommendations.

On 18 May 2026, IFOW hosted the launch of DSIT's cross-government AI and Future of Work Unit, the body announced by Liz Kendall with a target to upskill 10 million UK workers by 2030. IFOW's role as host rather than a participating government department signals that the unit is designed to operate with civil society input, not purely as a Whitehall programme. The institute's research on good work standards, worker voice and technology governance directly informs the unit's focus on SMEs as the priority upskilling cohort, where AI adoption risks are highest and worker support structures are weakest.

IFOW's convening role gives it significant soft influence on how the unit's 10m-person upskilling target is translated into practice. Unlike a think-tank that only publishes, IFOW's event-hosting and policy-dialogue functions place it in the room where programme design decisions are made. The Multiverse $70m Series E, closed three days after the IFOW-hosted launch, is commercially adjacent: Multiverse's employer-led apprenticeship model is one of the practical instruments the unit's mandate is designed to activate at scale.