October 1, 2019
UK organisations falling behind on AI
by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology
UK organisations risk falling behind global competitors unless they act now to accelerate their use of AI technology, according to a new report unveiled today by Microsoft UK. The report claims that organisations currently using AI are now outperforming those that are not by 11.5 percent – a boost that, in the face of unprecedented economic and political uncertainty, UK businesses can ill-afford to pass up, the authors suggest. More →
September 30, 2019
The role of AI in creating a more human workplace
by Josh Squires • AI, Facilities management, Features, Technology
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to infiltrate modern society, the benefits and pitfalls the technology receive almost peerless attention. The emergence of AI is of particular importance to how organisations might recruit, with clear signs that they are becoming more interested in the benefits it brings to their businesses.
September 30, 2019
Artificial intelligence to drive the next generation of jobs
by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology
The uptake of artificial intelligence by businesses will transform the UK job market in the near future and will create around 133 million new jobs worldwide. The findings come from a new report called Harnessing the Power of AI: The Demand for Future Skills (registration) from recruiter Robert Walters and market analysts Vacancy Soft. More →
September 18, 2019
Automation will boost productivity, but risks leaving people behind
by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Workplace
Unless the Government steps up efforts to manage the transition to automation, many people and entire regions of the UK face being left behind and British businesses could find themselves becoming less competitive, says the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee in a report published today.
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September 17, 2019
Workers prepared to accept automation but need training
by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology
Research from Gallup suggests that people feel unprepared for the introduction of new technologies, despite being optimistic about their job prospects. The Gallup Real Future of Work report of 4,000 employees has found that people around the world are generally upbeat about the impact of technology and automation on their careers, despite some analysts predicting that AI-enabled machines would take over 50 percent of human jobs within the decade. More →
September 12, 2019
Automation fear for workers not developing new skills
by Neil Franklin • AI, News
Over half of workers believe automation will significantly change or make their job obsolete within the next ten years and three quarters would learn new skills or completely retrain to improve their future employability. Yet people given fewer opportunities to learn new digital skills are more fearful of the impact of automation, and are more likely to have lower levels of education. More →
September 9, 2019
AI revolution means 120 million people need to reskill
by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Technology, Workplace
As many as 120 million workers in the world’s 12 largest economies may need to be retrained or reskilled over the next three years as a result of the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, according to a new IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) study. It also suggests that only 41 percent of CEOs surveyed say that they have the people, skills and resources required to execute their business strategies.
September 4, 2019
UK workers ready to embrace automation
by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Workplace
UK workers are optimistic about the opportunities technology will create in the future as over 90 percent believe it is changing their workplace and everyday lives for the better. Professionals in the UK stand ready to embrace automation, as findings from over 14,500 respondents in the Hays What Workers Want 2019 Report (registration) suggest that they are interested in using the latest digital technology both in everyday life (70 percent) and even more so in the workplace (80 percent). More →
August 13, 2019
Insecure leaders prefer to take advice from machines than people
by Neil Franklin • AI, News, Workplace
Leaders who are in danger of losing their position are more likely to take advice from a data algorithm than another human, research from BI Norwegian Business School claims. Psychologist Ingvild Müller Seljeseth conducted studies where participants were assigned to either stable or unstable leadership positions, which they would lose if they made a wrong decision. When asked to estimate the number of peas in a jar, leaders in a stable position were far more inclined to accept advice from previous participants than leaders in an unstable position. More →
July 18, 2019
Govt scheme to retrain people in the age of automation
by Neil Franklin • AI, News
The UK Government in partnership with the CBI and TUC has launched a new scheme to help workers whose jobs change or become obsolete because of advances in technology. Workers will be offered help in retraining or finding a new career amid suggestions that up to a third of jobs could be at risk of changing because of automation in the coming 10 to 20 years. The National Training Scheme will be trialled in Liverpool before being rolled out across England. The CBI and TUC are both backing the initiative as a way of boosting productivity, pay and workers’ skills. More →
July 4, 2019
World Economic Forum sets out top tech trends for 2019
by Mark Eltringham • AI, News, Technology
The World Economic Forum has announced its annual list of breakthrough technologies with the greatest potential to make a positive impact on our world. The technologies on the list, which is curated by members of the Forum’s Expert Network, are selected against a number of criteria. In addition to promising major benefits to societies and economies, they must also be disruptive, attractive to investors and researchers, and expected to have achieved considerable scale within five years. This year’s list features several technologies and tech trends directly relevant to the workplace and building design, including telepresence, automation and systems for plastics management.
June 26, 2019
Jobs upheaval as world adapts to era of automation
by Mark Eltringham • AI, News, Technology
A new report from the Economist Intelligence Unit and UiPath claims that organisations around the world currently making extensive use of automation technologies, with 67 percent of UK business executives claiming to be satisfied satisfied with the results of their automation initiatives, 48 percent describing their organisation’s progress with automation as advanced, and 73 percent expecting their company’s operating costs to improve as a result of automating business processes. It is published on the same day as another report suggests that up to 20 million manufacturing jobs could be lost to robots across the world’s leading economies by 2030, replaced by a range of new jobs. More →