MSGID: 1:317/3 64a4f1e8   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    'Workplace AI revolution isn't happening yet,' survey shows    
      
     Date:   
         July 4, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Leeds   
     Summary:   
         The UK risks a growing divide between organizations who have   
         invested in new, artificial intelligence-enabled digital   
         technologies and those who haven't, new research suggests.   
      
      
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   The UK risks a growing divide between organisations who have invested   
   in new, artificial intelligence-enabled digital technologies and those   
   who haven't, new research suggests.   
      
   Only 36% of UK employers have invested in AI-enabled technologies like   
   industrial robots, chat bots, smart assistants and cloud computing over   
   the past five years, according to a nationally representative survey   
   from the Digital Futures at Work Research Centre (Digit). The survey   
   was carried out between November 2021 and June 2022, with a second wave   
   now underway.   
      
   Academics at the University of Leeds, with colleagues at the Universities   
   of Sussex and Cambridge, led the research, finding that just 10% of   
   employers who hadn't already invested in AI-enabled technologies were   
   planning to invest in the next two years.   
      
   The new data also points to a growing skills problem. Less than 10%   
   of employers anticipated a need to make an investment in digital skills   
   training in the coming years, despite 75% finding it difficult to recruit   
   people with the right skills. Almost 60% of employers reported that none   
   of their employees had received formal digital skills training in the   
   past year.   
      
   Lead researcher Professor Mark Stuart, Pro Dean for Research and   
   Innovation at Leeds University Business School, said: "A mix of hope,   
   speculation, and hype is fuelling a runaway narrative that the adoption   
   of new AI-enabled digital technologies will rapidly transform the   
   UK's labour market, boosting productivity and growth. These hopes are   
   often accompanied by fears about the consequences for jobs and even of   
   existential risk.   
      
   "However, our findings suggest there is a need to focus on a different   
   policy challenge. The workplace AI revolution is not happening quite   
   yet. Policymakers will need to address both low employer investment in   
   digital technologies and low investment in digital skills, if the UK   
   economy is to realise the potential benefits of digital transformation."   
   Stijn Broecke, Senior Economist at the Organisation for Economic   
   Co-operation and Development (OECD), said: "At a time when AI is shifting   
   digitalisation into a higher gear, it is important to move beyond the   
   hype and have a debate that is driven by evidence rather than fear and   
   anecdote. This new report by the Digital Futures at Work Research Centre   
   (Digit) does exactly this and provides a nuanced picture of the impact   
   of digital technologies on the workplace, highlighting both the risks   
   and the opportunities."  The main reasons for investing were improving   
   efficiency, productivity and product and service quality, according to   
   the survey. 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.   
      
   There was little evidence in this survey 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.   
      
   As policymakers race to keep up with new developments in technology,   
   the researchers are now urging politicians to focus on the facts of AI   
   in the workplace.   
      
   The Employers' Digital Practices at Work Survey is a key output of the   
   Digital Futures at Work Research Centre, which is funded by the Economic   
   and Social Research Council (ESRC) and co-led by the Universities of   
   Sussex and Leeds Business Schools. The First Findings report will be   
   available on the Digit website on Tuesday 4 July.   
      
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230704110933.htm   
      
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