Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) will result in more jobs being created rather than triggering mass layoffs, bosses have said. 

More than half of British companies said AI will boost their staff headcount over the next two years, a survey of 2,000 employers by the recruitment giant Manpower Group showed.

It comes despite reports that companies are already cutting their workforce because of the threat of AI.

Telecoms giant BT said last month that it would cut 55,000 jobs by the end of the decade, with automation replacing some 10,000 workers largely in its customer service division. 

However, Rahul Kumar, director at recruiter Experis, which conducted the polling, said: “These findings suggest the mood amongst employers is largely at odds with wider concerns for AI having a negative impact on future jobs.”