UK has more to gain from Gen AI than any other G7 country

The research found that action would need to be taken now for Gen AI, which is a more advanced form of automation, to have the greatest effect

The UK economy could have more to gain from generative AI than any other advanced nation, according to a new research.

The opportunity to boost productivity is greatest in the public sector, where a doctor could save up to five working hours a week, as per estimates by consultancy giant Accenture.

The research found that action would need to be taken now for Gen AI, which is a more advanced form of automation, to have the greatest effect.

The technology could almost double the UK’s economic growth over the next 15 years, and see a bigger impact than any other country in the group of seven (G7).

Average annual GDP for 2023 to 2038 could increase from 1.6% to 3%, as per Accenture’s forecasting.

Accenture said it analysed tens of thousands of detailed tasks and estimated the total time that could be saved from automation, or augmentation which supports human tasks with technology.

For the gross domestic product modelling, the consultancy said it analysed the impact if people reallocated time freed up towards tasks that are less prone to using artificial intelligence.

Shaheen Sayed, head of Accenture in the UK, Ireland and Africa, said: There is an enormous opportunity to address longstanding productivity stagnation in the UK through an ambitious roll-out of generative AI, but organisations already risk falling behind with a short-term view of the power of this technology.

The research emphasised that the technology is most valuable if it is “people-centric”, meaning it automates routine tasks and preserves workers’ time for jobs that require a “human touch”, therefore freeing up time for innovation.