Google highlights importance of AI training for UK productivity

A new report from Google reveals the UK could unlock up to £400bn in economic growth by doubling its adoption of AI. The ‘AI Works’ study stresses that workforce engagement is critical, with half of the projected gains dependent on widespread, productive use of AI tools. Yet, a major adoption gap threatens progress, as two-thirds of UK workers have never used GenAI at work.

Accessibility remains a key barrier. Women over 55 are four times less likely to use AI than men under 35 according to Google's research. Simple measures like clear policies and guardrails, ‘permission to prompt’ and a few hours of training, can double daily AI use, saving workers an estimated 122 hours annually. Most participants in the study initially viewed AI as useful only for emails and document summaries, however, post-training over 80% were surprised by its broader capabilities, with 70% independently innovating three months later.  

Google has also urged UK government policymakers to take action, providing AI training for all public sector workers, ensuring NHS, local government, and civil service employees are equipped with AI skills. Other suggested actions include; a national AI adoption trial focused on the hardest to reach frontline service delivery teams and back-office personnel;  the appointment of an AI leader in every government department; and the launch of regular AI audits to track progress. Additionally, a Skills England-backed accreditation system for short, impactful AI training modules should be established to foster a culture of lifelong learning.

The findings from Google’s study very much echo the sentiment in TechMarketViews own AI research, See - AI Impact: Back Office Operations, that upskilling is crucial for end user organisations. We also highlighted that “considerations should be given on new programmes to support entry levels jobs and apprenticeships. Existing role profiles may also need to be reshaped due to the tasks AI supports”. The productivity challenge will soon extend beyond just the use of AI, as it also starts to replace and reshape roles, with the impact likely to be felt heavily on entry level positions, and roles with high levels of easily automated processes and data entry.

Fully realising the economic benefits from AI will require widespread adoption. Access to AI-powered tools is a big part of that, but without the skills to fully utilise them the potential gains are likely to go unfulfilled. I would echo Googles well-made points, that we need to see more from the UK government to fully activate and enable the use of AI across the public and private sectors.

Posted by: Simon Baxter at 09:19