UK workers optimistic about automation

Every second office worker in the UK (48 percent) is optimistic about what automation technologies will do to their workplace in the future. The only problems are that it’s expensive and infrastructure is lacking.

This is according to a new report by Capgemini, based on a poll of more than 1,000 UK office workers.

Four in ten (40 percent) believe machine learning will have a positive impact, while 32 percent said the same for robotics. Only 10 percent said automation might have a negative impact.

Almost half (47 percent) have seriously thought about how automation can support their departments on a daily basis. When it comes to finances, the percentage jumps to 85. Business owners and directors think as much as 40 percent of business tasks could be automated before 2020. That includes invoicing, managing expense claims and admin tasks.

Office workers, however, aren’t afraid of losing their jobs. They see automation as a way to free up time, so that they could do tasks of higher value.

"It’s really heartening to see the optimism for automation technologies among the UK’s office workers -- particularly when nearly half have given serious thought to implementation in their own workplace," said Lee Beardmore, vice president and chief technology officer of Capgemini’s Business Services Unit.

"At present our survey estimates that around 13 percent of businesses in the UK are benefiting from automation, but there’s still a lot that haven’t seen anything yet. We certainly expect this figure to rise in the near future as more and more businesses realize the transformational power of technologies such as AI, robotics and automation. All of these technologies represent an opportunity for growth for businesses in every industry sector."

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