London, UK- New research from Pearson this Tuesday reveals the substantial impact Generative AI could have on workplace productivity in the UK. The study forecasts that by 2026, UK workers could save 19 million hours a week on routine and repetitive tasks, significantly alleviating burnout and improving work-life balance.
The findings are part of Pearson’s latest Skills Outlook series, titled ‘Reclaim the Clock: How Generative AI Can Power People at Work’, which examines the potential benefits of Generative AI across five countries: Australia, Brazil, India, the UK, and the US.
Pearson’s workforce planning platform, powered by Generative AI, highlights that the technology is particularly effective in supporting tasks related to maintaining records, data collection, and researching and compiling information. By integrating Generative AI into basic tasks, companies can free up time for their employees to focus on high-value work that requires human skills such as strategic thinking, collaboration, decision making, innovation, problem solving, empathy, and leadership.
Study Methodology
The study utilized census and workforce datasets to create a comprehensive view of the current workforce in the US, UK, Australia, India, and Brazil. Pearson’s proprietary occupations ontology, encompassing 5,600 jobs and 76,000 tasks, enabled machine learning algorithms to calculate the future impact of technology at a task level.
By examining the hours currently spent on work tasks across the UK and projecting these figures into the future with Generative AI adoption, Pearson identified tasks where the greatest reductions in hours would occur, focusing on technologies like LLM Chatbots and AI Text-to-Visual Media Generators.
The research underscores the transformative potential of Generative AI in reshaping the future of work, promoting efficiency, and enhancing human well-being.