This article was published in March 2026
To celebrate National Careers Week 2026, the Bitesize Guide to AI invited experts from top UK organisations to the Science Museum, London to demonstrate the fascinating ways they use AI tools in their line of work. Professionals from ASOS, Microsoft, the University of St. Andrews, beauty and healthcare all shared their insights with BBC Radio 1Xtra's Fee Mak.
Fee Mak, Presenter: Hey, we're here at the Science museum. I'm Fee Mak, and I'm joined by…
Nick Eley: My name is Nick Eley. I work at ASOS and I am Head of Digital Creation.
Israa Ibrahim: I'm an Account Technology Strategist at Microsoft.
Rahual Das: I am a Multidisciplinary Artist. Currently work with L'Oreal and I do everything that comes down to artistry and also a little bit of media.
Anya Aggarwal: I'm a Trainee Clinical Psychologist and I work for the NHS.
Dr Julie Oswald: I'm a Senior Lecturer at The University of St. Andrews.
Fee Mak: In your opinion, how is AI going to change the fashion industry?
Nick Eley: For us, it's really making us be able to visualise products a lot quicker, make decisions a lot quicker and ultimately save on the amount of samples. Previously, we had to send things to a factory and it could have taken 2 or 3 weeks to get something back, but now within minutes I can have lots of different ideas right at my fingertips.
Israa Ibrahim: AI helps me quite a lot at work when it comes to summarizing documents, drafting emails. It really helps me when it comes to understanding concepts and learning concepts faster.
Rahual Das: So for me, AI is a tool that I use quite frequently, whether that's to organize myself ahead of any shoots, whether I want to research make-up products that are alternatives to what I'm already using. I also like to use it to map out face charts. So, digital face charts are a great way of capturing the pigment that you're going to get when you're actually applying the makeup.
Anya Aggarwal: I think the main thing it will change is making things more accessible. So, breaking down things that were in like really long, lengthy textbooks into, yeah, quick interactive exercises on an app, for example.
Dr Julie Oswald: So, I work in the conservation industry, and I think that AI, one of the biggest things AI is going to do is allow us to analyse huge amounts of data. And being able to analyze so much data lets us implement more effective conservation methods and then monitor if those methods are working or not.
Fee Mak: I'd love for you to complete the sentence of Israa. One thing AI could never replace about me is…
Israa Ibrahim: Oh, probably my compassion, my willingness to learn and my excitement.
Nick Eley: My creativity.
Rahual Das: My authenticity, and my ability to see things and capture them and create from that.
Dr Julie Oswald: People need to know about the threats faced by the ocean and what we can do to mitigate those threats. So, I think talking to people and being enthusiastic and teaching people is something that AI could never replace.
Anya Aggarwal: I think it's the invisible thread that forms between like a client and a therapist, and that feeling of being seen, being understood and not being alone. I think that's something that AI could never replace.
Fee Mak: So good. Thank you so much for your time.
Anya Aggarwal: Thank you.
The Bitesize and 5 Live Teens Summit Survey 2026 showed that more than a third of UK teenagers are worried that artificial intelligence could take future jobs. Encouragingly, over 60% of the surveyed teenagers aren't.
AI tools are helping jobs evolve and are supporting professionals to do well in their work.
Working smarter at lightening speed
AI is known for its speedy responses. This has made tasks easier to complete for professionals and helped them become more organised. As Nick Eley, Head of Digital Creation at ASOS explained, AI has helped with the design process by allowing them to visualise products instantly and make quicker decisions. Before ASOS introduced AI, design samples sometimes took weeks to arrive, and everything was a lot slower. Using AI tools has helped reduce wastage from fabric samples and now within minutes, Nick and his team can have lots of digital samples right at their fingertips.
Using insight to create meaningful actions
AI tools can hold vast amounts of information (data). Our AI experts have used this to their advantage by using large language models to interrogate concepts and inform their work. For Dr Julie Oswald, Senior Lecturer at the University of St. Andrews, AI has transformed conservation efforts.
It allows us to analyse huge amounts of data, and being able to analyse so much data lets us implement more effective conservation methods.
Dive further into how Julie and her colleague Rosie Day use AI tools to identify dolphin species in our Bitesize Guide to AI and Conservation.
Upskilling and mastering their own abilities
In the same way AI tools can help young people with revision they have also made it easier for professionals to meet the needs of their clients in the workplace.
As Rahual Das, a multidisciplinary artist who starred in BBC Three's Glow Up explained, using AI to create face charts to capture the pigment of specific make-up looks helps him understand how it will appear when applying the product in real life.
Anya Aggarwal, a Trainee Clinical Psychologist also noted how AI has made things more accessible in her field of work by breaking down clinical information from lengthy textbooks into quick, interactive exercises available on apps.
What to remember
Many professionals do see the benefits of AI tools and want to encourage young people to build their data literacy to support their future careers. However, experts also highlight that AI still can't replace human behaviour.
As Account Technology Strategist, Israa Ibrahim at Microsoft said:
AI will never replace my compassion, my willingness to learn and my excitement.
Authenticity, creativity and communication are some key human traits that help people become great at their job and build their careers. Data literacy is an important skill to have and when combined with your passion, personality and lived experience it can help you to achieve your career goals.
More from the Bitesize Guide to AI
Teens tell us what they really think about AI
Find out what teenagers really think about AI after attending a BBC Bitesize Guide to AI careers event in London.
Bitesize Guide to AI: How AI skills can boost your confidence and your CV
Discover how experts in their fields use AI everyday to support their career.
How AI is transforming the fashion industry
How are AI tools impacting the fashion design process? And what sort of skills do aspiring young designers need to have?
