UK employees are falling behind in AI adoption, particularly over 55s

The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle, is calling on British workers to overcome their concerns and embrace artificial intelligence (AI) technologies or risk being left behind. Kyle encourages employees and businesses to act now on AI adoption, noting that a generational gap can be bridged with just a few hours of training to boost AI literacy skills—over-55s are currently adopting AI at half the rate of those over 35. A recent survey suggests that people in English-speaking countries, including the UK, US, Australia, and Canada, are more nervous about using AI than those in the largest EU economies.

Despite the boom in AI investment and forecasts of job displacement, Kyle believes AI is "more straightforward" and "more rewarding" than commonly perceived. Having met with the leaders of several technology companies, including Google, Amazon, and BT, Kyle highlights that all employees are capable of acquiring the necessary skills to use AI effectively and responsibly. To support this, the UK government has announced plans to launch an initiative to train 7.5 million UK workers in AI by 2030.

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