Google’s pilot scheme in the UK has shown that workers could save more than 120 hours a year by using AI in administrative tasks. The U.S. tech giant, which developed the Gemini AI chatbot, partnered with Public First to conduct the AI Works pilots in a small business network, educational trusts, and a union. The analysis revealed that 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 pilots showed workers could save an average of 122 hours a year by using AI in administrative tasks. However, a barrier stopping some from adopting this technology was a concern that using AI in their job was not legitimate or fair. “People wanted ‘permission to prompt’,” Weinstein explained.
AI drives efficiency in admin tasks
“They were asking, ‘Is it okay for me to be doing this?’ And so giving them that reassurance was really important.”
The report noted that once workers started using AI, a few hours of training to build their confidence resulted in them using the technology twice as much, and they were still using it several months later. These straightforward interventions helped narrow the AI adoption gap among the participants in the pilot studies.
Before training, only 17% of women aged above 55 in the cohorts used AI weekly and only 9% daily. Three months later, 56% were using it weekly and 29% had made it a daily habit. Britain could gain 400 billion pounds ($533 billion) from AI-driven growth if it trained its workforce, according to the report.
Simple steps such as giving workers permission to use AI and providing a few hours of training to get them started could help double the adoption of the new technology, and in turn boost economic growth.
Noah Nguyen is a multi-talented developer who brings a unique perspective to his craft. Initially a creative writing professor, he turned to Dev work for the ability to work remotely. He now lives in Seattle, spending time hiking and drinking craft beer with his fiancee.
