UK workers are actually using automation and AI for good
British workers are increasingly choosing to use AI tools to improve their efficiency, according to new research from cloud storage giant Dropbox.
Research shows that more than half (53%) of UK knowledge workers typically spend no more than an hour straight on productive work, highlighting the importance of productivity-enhancing technology in the workplace.
As ChatGPT’s one-year anniversary approaches, two-thirds (66%) of UK knowledge workers now use automation tools ‘regularly’.
Employees use AI to fill productivity gaps
The most common reason for using artificial intelligence, according to Dropbox, is to perform repetitive tasks. Much generative AI tools can take into account billions of parameters and search through vast amounts of data in a fraction of the time it would take a human.
Other popular reasons for using AI and automation include summarizing information and answering questions.
Amid a growing trend of return-to-the-office mandates, Dropbox also reveals some of the top distractions facing employees around the world. At home, household chores and demands from others worry many workers, while office workers claim that interruptions from colleagues cause them the biggest headaches.
Lost focus would cost the UK $197 billion, while the US would be hit much harder with an economic cost of $1.4 trillion. The figures suggest that addressing this could increase the economic output of knowledge workers by around 40%.
The overwhelming consensus is that AI tools have helped UK and global workers be more productive, improve the quality of their work, be better organized and even improve job security.
This time last year, many workers began expressing concerns about job security, which was believed to be threatened by AI. It’s now clear that small injections of artificial intelligence into the tools we use every day are best seen as tools that can improve employee satisfaction and contribute more money to the economy.