A surge in robots replacing human workers is expected in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
Firms have already started speeding up automation and more are planning to use machines rather than people to climb out of the economic collapse.
One company executive described Covid-19 as “a time to automate and take labour out of the equation”.
A survey of company bosses shows two-thirds of employers have speeded up automation or are re-writing plans because of the epidemic.
The Unite union has warned hundreds of thousands of jobs could be lost in a “wave of permanent cuts”.
An Oxford University study before the epidemic had already predicted 35 per cent of all UK jobs, from office workers to nursing and construction, were at risk from automation over the next 20 years.
Union executive officer Sharon Graham said: “We are at a turning point.
"When the public money stops and economic recovery takes centre stage, we will face a test of how automation is used.
“Some employers are speeding up plans to close sites or introduce new technology to save labour costs by replacing humans with robots.”
The warning follows a survey by global accountancy firm EY, formerly Ernst & Young, which found that 36 per cent of companies have already speeded up the shift to robots in reaction to the crisis and 41 per cent were looking to “re-evaluate” possibilities.
The union has called for “negotiated solutions” to integrate robots with human workers and save jobs.
A spokesman said: “Before the crisis it was estimated that artificial intelligence could add £232billion to the economy.
"So employers have the ability to share the benefits of automation with workers.”
However Jonathan Gilliam, an economist at PwC, said: “While we expect the nature of jobs will change and some will be susceptible to automation, our research shows that the boost to the UK will also generate significant job gains.”
