AI can be seen positively or negatively based on who you might be asking at any given point in time, but in spite of the fact that this is the case, it appears that there is a high level of likelihood that it may reduce the work week. According to a study conducted by the think tank, Autonomy, it appears that AI will enable workers to work only 4 days out of the week instead of 5 and earn the same income.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this change will mostly impact workers in the US and the UK, and we can extrapolate that these advantages would extend to other developed nations as well. The findings presented in this study seem to suggest that as many as 35 million workers in the US and 8 million in the UK will get the chance to work 4 days a week if the trend holds true for the next decade.
This would mean that a fairly significant proportion of the population would be working considerably less than might have been the case otherwise, and the wider economic impact of this change is likely also going to come into play. What's more is that 71% of workers based in the US could see their work hours reduced by 10%, and 88% of UK based workers will be able to avail the same benefits with all things having been considered and taken into account.
Reducing the work week could be significant because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up giving workers more free time. There have been many indications that human beings are extremely overworked in the modern age, and AI might make it possible to reverse this trend once and for all.
However, it bears mentioning that workers living in poorer parts of these countries would be less likely to enjoy a shorter work week. For example, the town of Boston in Lincolnshire, England will only see 15% of its work force get the chance to work four days a week. It will be interesting to see where things go from here on out, since there are a lot of different outcomes that could occur.
Photo: DIW - AIgen
Read next: It’s About Time Brands Start to Think About What Consumers Want When It Comes to Use of AI
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that this change will mostly impact workers in the US and the UK, and we can extrapolate that these advantages would extend to other developed nations as well. The findings presented in this study seem to suggest that as many as 35 million workers in the US and 8 million in the UK will get the chance to work 4 days a week if the trend holds true for the next decade.
This would mean that a fairly significant proportion of the population would be working considerably less than might have been the case otherwise, and the wider economic impact of this change is likely also going to come into play. What's more is that 71% of workers based in the US could see their work hours reduced by 10%, and 88% of UK based workers will be able to avail the same benefits with all things having been considered and taken into account.
Reducing the work week could be significant because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up giving workers more free time. There have been many indications that human beings are extremely overworked in the modern age, and AI might make it possible to reverse this trend once and for all.
However, it bears mentioning that workers living in poorer parts of these countries would be less likely to enjoy a shorter work week. For example, the town of Boston in Lincolnshire, England will only see 15% of its work force get the chance to work four days a week. It will be interesting to see where things go from here on out, since there are a lot of different outcomes that could occur.
Read next: It’s About Time Brands Start to Think About What Consumers Want When It Comes to Use of AI
