Dive Brief:
- Employees who use artificial intelligence tools may save nearly the equivalent of a full working day per week, around 7.5 hours on average, according to research released Oct. 28 by the London School of Economics’ Inclusion Initiative and Protiviti, a global consulting firm.
- Rates of AI tool usage may rely on training, however. While 93% of the 3,000 employees surveyed who received AI training used it in their work, 57% of those who did not receive training said the same.
- Training can double productivity and the hours at work saved, upward of 11 hours per week, the report said. Generational diversity can also lead to greater productivity where AI use is concerned, according to the report.
Dive Insight:
The Protiviti and London School of Economics report emphasizes the role of training in unlocking the benefits of AI tool use.
“For business leaders, the priority is clear: closing the AI training gap is one of the fastest ways to unlock measurable returns,” Grace Lordan, founding director of The Inclusion Initiative at LSE and research leader, said in a statement.
Access to that training remains a sticking point in recent AI discourse, however. Employees routinely report that they are not offered the resources to learn to use the technology effectively — and while leaders have said they have access to training and understand the reasoning behind AI adoption decisions, rank-and-file employees have largely said the opposite.
This broadening training gap could intensify a “digital divide” within companies, BambooHR said in a report released in July, straining workplace power dynamics and widening gender gaps. Employers that are not proactive about this gap could struggle to build a “future-ready” workforce, an Adecco Group report said earlier this year, threatening attempts to innovate with AI successfully.
