According to new research, AI may be able to automate about 39 per cent of domestic work within 10 years.

In a world where unpaid domestic work currently takes up almost as much time as paid work, automation could have significant social and economic implications.

For instance, these new technologies will most likely be only affordable to wealthy or middle-class households - giving them even more time for paid work and leisure - and might even pose a threat to some low-income professions by reducing demand for domestic workers.

Since experts suggest that the potential benefits are stronger in housework than in adult care, the risk of AI taking over care professions is minimal, the study found.

On the other hand, poorer households unable to afford this technology would be left spending more time on domestic work, further worsening economic and social inequalities.