Generative AI could help Indian workers save 51M hours a week by 2026: Pearson

Generative AI (GenAI) could help Indian workers save 51 million hours a week by 2026, according to new research by learning company Pearson.

The latest instalment of Pearson’s Skills Outlook series, 'Reclaim the Clock: How Generative AI Can Power People at Work', looks ahead to 2026 and identifies the top 10 tasks with the most time saved by using the AI technology, in Australia, Brazil, India, United Kingdom, and United States.

The company's GenAI powered workforce planning platform finds that GenAI can most effectively support tasks related to record maintenance, data collection, researching and compiling information for others, thus helping companies and workers focus on high-value work that requires human intervention.

"Employers should consider how to incorporate this new technology into their teams and redesign roles to free people up to focus on more valuable, human tasks," said Oliver Latham, VP of Strategy and Growth, Pearson Workforce Skills.

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Pearson looked at the the hours currently spent, countrywide, on work tasks each week, and calculated the projection for three years as GenAI is increasingly adopted at the workplace. It also identified the tasks that would have the greatest hours reduced by the technology, specifically LLM chatbots and AI text-to-visual media generators.

The top tasks in India that would save the most hours by adopting GenAI by 2026 include promoting products, services, or programmes; collecting data on consumer needs and opinions; developing marketing or promotional materials; identifying business or organisational opportunities; and explaining technical details of products or services.

Latham also reiterated the need for training and support for employees for effective and responsible use of GenAI.