Google has published a report on its AI Works pilot project, started last year in the UK, highlighting how AI usage can affect the productivity of individual workers. The search giant partnered with a union, small businesses, and educators from a dozen schools in the UK to trial different training methods.
The AI Works report found that generative AI can help save around 122 hours a year for people working across different sectors, exceeding its initial estimate of 100 hours per year. The pilot found that people can double their daily AI usage with just a few hours of training, and their usage remained high even months after the training.
Google predicted last year that AI-powered innovation in the UK can lead to an economic growth of £400 billion by 2030. However, half of the projected growth depends on workers adopting and using AI tools.
About 66% of workers, mostly older women (aged 55+) and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, have never used generative AI at work. Women over 55 are four times less likely to use AI than men under 35, and smaller businesses lag behind larger firms.
Before the training, only 17% of women in the 55+ cohort used AI weekly and 9% used it daily. The number increased after three months when 56% were using it weekly and 29% made it a daily affair.
Speaking of the hurdles, the report found that workers need "permission to prompt." They need reassurance that AI use is allowed and gives them an advantage that is legitimate, fair, and comparable to using the internet or a search engine.
Habit formation can benefit AI training and leads to experimentation. After training for three months, many people started seeking prompting tips independently, watching videos, and reading articles to discover new features and use cases.
Google joined the AI race unofficially started by OpenAI and needs more and more people to use its AI products. The company even used its AI models to recreate a movie for the 160,000-square-foot LED screen in Las Vegas and wants to fund short films about AI and humans.
However, using AI tools in daily life might induce some hesitation as they are still prone to errors. People still have mixed thoughts about what AI will bring in the future, with a fear that their jobs may be replaced.