Google Study: AI Adoption Could Save UK Workers 122 Hours Annually and Boost Economy by £400 Billion

Workers could save 122 hours a year by adopting AI in admin tasks, says Google

LONDON, April 25 (Reuters) - Britain could gain 400 billion pounds ($533 billion) from AI-driven growth if it trained its workforce, Google said, after a pilot scheme in the UK showed workers could save more than 120 hours a year by using AI in administrative tasks. Simple steps such as giving workers permission to use AI and a few hours of training to get them started could help double the adoption of the new technology, and in turn boost economic growth, Google said in a report on its pilot scheme, published on Friday. The U.S. tech giant, which developed the Gemini AI chatbot, said that according to analysis by Public First, its partner in the scheme, two thirds of workers - particularly older women from lower socio-economic backgrounds - had never used generative AI at work. Debbie Weinstein, Google's Europe, Middle East and Africa president, said the AI Works pilots - conducted in a small business network, educational trusts and a union - showed workers could save on average 122 hours a year by using AI in administrative tasks. But one barrier stopping some from dipping a toe into the water was a concern that using AI in their job was not legitimate nor fair. "People wanted 'permission to prompt'", Weinstein said in an interview. "'Is it okay for me to be doing this?' And so giving them that reassurance was really important." Once they started, a few hours of AI training to build their confidence resulted in them using the technology twice as much, she said, and they were still using it several months later. These simple interventions helped to narrow the AI adoption gap amongst the participants in the pilot studies, Google said in its AI Works report. Before training, for example, only 17% of women aged above 55 in its cohorts used AI weekly and only 9% daily. Three months later, 56% were using it weekly and 29% had made it a daily habit. ($1 = 0.7509 pounds) Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Susan Fenton Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Suggested Topics:World at Work

Google says the UK needs to do more to adopt AI, then it can reap the benefits

Enabling the workforce to adopt AI effectively would account for half of the economic growth A new report from Google has claimed the UK could potentially double its adoption of artificial intelligence, resulting in boosted productivity and an estimated £400 billion in economic growth. The company's latest AI Works report plays into the role of human workers in the successful deployment of AI - effective workforce adoption could account for £200 billion, or half, of the gains. However, as it currently stands, two in three UK workers have never used generative AI at work - a trend that's most prominent among "older women from lower socio-economic backgrounds." Google's report centers around the accessibility concerns surrounding artificial intelligence. Women over 55 are said to be four times less likely to use AI than men under 35, the report reveals. It doesn't all need to be lost hope, though, with the tech giant spelling out a handful of key considerations businesses can explore to boost adoption across all workers. The primary advisory is that workers need "permission to prompt" - giving workers explicit permission to use AI and setting out clear AI policies will help them to understand that AI's advantages are legitimate, fair and comparable to other internet-based tools. Google also noted that AI habits are easy to form, revealing that just a few hours of training can double daily AI usage, which remains high several months after that initial lesson. Consequentially, this habit formation leads to further exploration and encourages ongoing learning. Naturally, the report also explores how AI can save workers time - an average of 122 hours per year across all sectors, according to the figures, which exceeds the previously modelled 100-hour estimate. Finally, Google says that supporting workers with upskilling efforts can help to narrow adoption gaps. "We want these pilots to encourage more leaders to act now and seize this opportunity to equip everyone with the skills needed to unlock economic growth and change ways of working for the better," noted Google's EMEA President, Debbie Weinstein. Google has also urged the UK Government to "guarantee AI training for all public sector workers." Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, committed to supporting the UK workforce: "We will support workers to develop the skills they need for jobs in and with AI, so that all parts of society can benefit from this technology."

Google Says Its AI Can Save You 122 Hours of Work Per Year

There are a lot of different promises AI makers make about the way AI could transform your office efficiency, add new skills to small teams, analyze data for you, or boost coders' abilities. But one fresh claim from Google is fabulously tangible, and it's about saving the most precious resource of all: time. The search, ads, and now AI giant says that by training workers to hand over basic administrative tasks to AI, each person could save 122 hours of work a year. For a typical 40 hour work week, this equates to three whole weeks. If you employ hundreds of staff, this could mean thousands of work hours each year are freed up for people to do more meaningful work that actually drives your company's profits. That's a very seductive promise.

Workers could save 122 hours a year by adopting AI in admin tasks: Google

Britain could gain £400 billion from AI-driven growth by 2030 if it invests in workforce training, according to Google. A UK pilot showed workers saved an average of 122 hours a year on administrative tasks using AI. Simple steps like granting permission and providing brief training could double AI adoption, especially among underrepresented groupsBritain could gain £400 billion ($533 billion) from AI-driven growth if it trained its workforce, Google said, after a pilot scheme in the UK showed workers could save more than 120 hours a year by using AI in administrative tasks. Simple steps such as giving workers permission to use AI and a few hours of training to get them started could help double the adoption of the new technology, and in turn boost economic growth, Google said in a report on its pilot scheme, published on Friday. The US tech giant, which developed the Gemini AI chatbot, said that according to analysis by Public First, its partner in the scheme, two thirds of workers - particularly older women from lower socio-economic backgrounds - had never used generative AI at work. Debbie Weinstein, Google's Europe, Middle East and Africa president, said the AI Works pilots - conducted in a small business network, educational trusts and a union - showed workers could save on average 122 hours a year by using AI in administrative tasks. But one barrier stopping some from dipping a toe into the water was a concern that using AI in their job was not legitimate nor fair. "People wanted 'permission to prompt'", Weinstein said in an interview. "'Is it okay for me to be doing this?' And so giving them that reassurance was really important." Once they started, a few hours of AI training to build their confidence resulted in them using the technology twice as much, she said, and they were still using it several months later. These simple interventions helped to narrow the AI adoption gap amongst the participants in the pilot studies, Google said in its AI Works report. Before training, for example, only 17% of women aged above 55 in its cohorts used AI weekly and only 9% daily. Three months later, 56% were using it weekly and 29% had made it a daily habit. ($1 = £ 0.7509)

Workers could save 122 hours a year by adopting AI in admin tasks, says Google

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain could gain 400 billion pounds ($533 billion) from AI-driven growth if it trained its workforce, Google said, after a pilot scheme in the UK showed workers could save more than 120 hours a year by using AI in administrative tasks. Simple steps such as giving workers permission to use AI and a few hours of training to get them started could help double the adoption of the new technology, and in turn boost economic growth, Google said in a report on its pilot scheme, published on Friday. The U.S. tech giant, which developed the Gemini AI chatbot, said that according to analysis by Public First, its partner in the scheme, two thirds of workers - particularly older women from lower socio-economic backgrounds - had never used generative AI at work. Debbie Weinstein, Google's Europe, Middle East and Africa president, said the AI Works pilots - conducted in a small business network, educational trusts and a union - showed workers could save on average 122 hours a year by using AI in administrative tasks. But one barrier stopping some from dipping a toe into the water was a concern that using AI in their job was not legitimate nor fair. "People wanted 'permission to prompt'", Weinstein said in an interview. "'Is it okay for me to be doing this?' And so giving them that reassurance was really important." Once they started, a few hours of AI training to build their confidence resulted in them using the technology twice as much, she said, and they were still using it several months later. These simple interventions helped to narrow the AI adoption gap amongst the participants in the pilot studies, Google said in its AI Works report. Before training, for example, only 17% of women aged above 55 in its cohorts used AI weekly and only 9% daily. Three months later, 56% were using it weekly and 29% had made it a daily habit. (Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Susan Fenton)