Blog/Research

You can download the full white paper at the bottom of this page. The introduction follows.

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Rapid advances in artificial intelligence are beginning to fundamentally transform the world of work, and with widespread public interest in its effects, the need for an independent, ongoing measurement instrument is greater than ever.

This white paper covers the first set of data in a new workforce AI tracker produced by Focaldata in partnership with the Financial Times. The tracker will be run monthly across the United Kingdom and United States, covering overall AI usage, how workers are using AI, the tools they are using, perceived productivity gains, barriers to usage, and impacts on the labour market.

Our results from the first wave, conducted across February and March, confirm that the AI revolution is still very much in its infancy. While almost two-thirds of workers (65%) in the UK and US have used AI at least once in their job, daily use is concentrated in a narrow band of demographics. Fewer than 1-in-5 workers are using AI tools daily, and around half use AI less than once per month, if ever.

The remarkable developments in AI technology, when paired with a relatively slim set of frequent users, risk opening up a two-tier economy in the labour market, in which some sectors and roles see large productivity gains while others continue along the sluggish growth path which has plagued the West in recent decades. There is some evidence of this two-tier system already emerging, with AI usage currently highest among those in senior positions and on higher salaries.

While previous waves of automation reshaped blue-collar jobs in factories and warehouses, this one is reshaping offices and consultancies. Tasks people are using AI most frequently for, such as conducting research and editing content, are some of the core activities of professional services. We find evidence in our data that junior roles in professional services – namely the consultancy, finance and legal sectors – may be at acute risk from automation.

Whether widespread AI use leads to augmentation in the labour market or direct job replacement remains to be seen, and current managerial expectations vary significantly across countries. In the UK, a quarter (25%) of managers think AI will lead to reductions in their staff numbers over the next year, while only 16% expect an increase in headcount. In the US, however, the opposite is true, with 28% expecting an increase and 22% a reduction. This disparity between countries is not attributable to industry differences alone.

Understanding the drivers of AI use across different industries and how these new technologies are going to impact the future of work are essential data points for business leaders, policy makers and workers themselves. We hope this white paper and ongoing tracker can contribute to the process of bridging the knowledge gap. Future reports from this tracker will explore particular topics in depth, but this white paper is designed to provide a broad overview of the current state of play.