The rapid adoption of new artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the workplace is bringing drastic changes to the UK labor market, but a new survey reveals that the revolution is not yet fully underway. A nationally representative survey conducted by the Digital Futures at Work Research Centre (Digit) found that only 36% of UK employers had invested in AI-enabled technologies such as industrial robots, chatbots, smart assistants and cloud computing over the past five years.
Moreover, only 10% of employers were planning to invest in AI-enabled technologies in the next two years, and less than 10% anticipated a need for investing in digital skills training. This lack of investment could lead to a growing divide between those businesses that have adopted AI-enabled technologies and those that haven’t.
Lead researcher Professor Mark Stuart of the University of Leeds Business School noted that the hopes for the workplace AI revolution are often accompanied by fears of job losses and other consequences. His research suggests that policymakers should focus on increasing employer investment in digital technologies and digital skills training, in order to realize the potential benefits of digital transformation.
The Employers’ Digital Practices at Work Survey, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), revealed that the main reasons for investing in AI-enabled technology were to improve efficiency, productivity and product and service quality. On the other hand, the key reasons for non-investment were AI being irrelevant to the business activity, wider business risks and the nature of skills demanded.
Furthermore, the survey found no evidence to suggest that investing in AI-enabled technology leads to job losses. In fact, digital adopters were more likely to have increased their employment in the five-year period before the survey.
The new survey reveals that UK employers are slow to invest in AI-enabled technology and digital skills. Policymakers must focus on these areas in order to ensure the UK economy can realize the potential benefits of digital transformation.
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