Guest blog: How AI can help solve the hybrid work collaboration paradox
A guest blog from Piers Horobin, Head of Public Sector, UK at Zoom as part of our Digital Transformation in the Public Sector #techUKDigitalPS
In his recent speech on the transformative potential of AI, UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden MP called AI a “silver bullet” for increasing productivity, with the potential to create substantial efficiency savings and improve the UK’s public services. He had previously predicted that AI would have a more significant impact than the industrial revolution. These are bold declarations from one of the UK’s most measured ministers, but also a good reflection of emerging consensus that doubling down on responsible AI is essential if the UK is to deliver a more advanced public sector.
Dowden is also the UK minister responsible for transforming the productivity of the Civil Service, and his candour about the outdated internal systems and bureaucratic hurdles that hold officials back from producing meaningful and productive work was revealing: the UK Government knows how it operates is ripe for disruption with AI, but hasn’t quite yet worked out how to do this practically at scale.
Civil servants and other UK public bodies are not outliers in this regard. Despite the digital adoption we have seen across advanced economies in recent years, workers across sectors still spend significant parts of their day on unproductive, repetitive tasks that get in the way of driving their organisation forward. One recent report from the Alan Turing Institute found that 84% of repetitive transactions performed by UK civil servants could be easily automated using AI.
At Zoom, we are strong believers in the benefits of hybrid and asynchronous working, but it’s also often true that when internal teams are spread out across different locations and don’t have the necessary tools, it can slow collaboration down. And despite the huge potential of AI to improve productivity across Government and businesses, too often these opportunities are not being taken. For example, a recent report from the National Audit Office on the use of AI in Government found that overall, the Government’s strategy lacks governance and accountability, and further assessment and investment is needed to realise the productivity gains from AI. Across the private sector, only one-in-ten organisations are currently fully prepared to roll out the technology, despite the importance of AI being almost universally recognised.
So as one of the world’s leading unified communications platforms, how can we solve this collaboration paradox? We started by commissioning a Morning Consult survey to understand how employees and leaders are spending their workdays and whether their most time-consuming tasks could potentially be aided by AI. This revealed that over 70% of the business leaders polled carry out administrative tasks several times a week, including sharing notes, action updates, and status updates to teams and customers. For those teams that have begun deploying AI, more than 75% of the leaders reported their employees completed tasks faster, were more productive, and produced higher quality work.
When employees and leaders were asked to identify which benefits of using AI at work were the most helpful, the top responses were related to saving time — either by reducing the number of repetitive tasks, completing work faster, or using that time for something else. In fact, a staggering 89% of employees polled said that the automation of routine tasks meant they had more time to focus on more important activities that increase output, drive revenue, and otherwise move the needle — thereby improving their productivity. For public sector organisations this might mean more time developing policies, delivering citizen-facing services, participating in learning and development activities and much more.
Zoom welcomes the Government’s renewed focus on harnessing AI to its full potential, but to do this AI tools must be accessible. That means workers at all levels and at organisations of all sizes having access to AI-powered super-powers that enhance and streamline their workday. That’s why we are including Zoom AI Companion at no additional cost with all paid services in Zoom Workplace plans. In this way and more, we look forward to playing our role in supporting the simple and efficient use of AI in everyday life.
If anyone is interested in learning more about Zoom, you can get in touch with Piers at [email protected]
Heather is Head of Central Government Programme at techUK, working to represent the supplier community of tech products and services to Central Government.
Prior to joining techUK in April 2022, Heather worked in the Economic Policy and Small States Section at the Commonwealth Secretariat. She led the organisation’s FinTech programme and worked to create an enabling environment for developing countries to take advantage of the socio-economic benefits of FinTech.
Before moving to the UK, Heather worked at the Office of the Prime Minister of The Bahamas and the Central Bank of The Bahamas.
Heather holds a Graduate Diploma in Law from BPP, a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from LSE, and a BA in Economics and Sociology from Macalester College.
Ellie joined techUK in March 2018 as a Programme Assistant to the Public Sector team and now works as a Programme Manager for the Central Government Programme.
The programme represents the supplier community of technology products and services in Central Government – in summary working to make Government a more informed buyer, increasing supplier visibility in order to improve their chances of supplying to Government Departments, and fostering better engagement between the public sector and industry. To find out more about what we do, how we do this and how you can get involved – make sure to get in touch!
Prior to joining techUK, Ellie completed Sixth Form in June 2015 and went on to work in Waitrose, moved on swiftly to walking dogs and finally, got an office job working for a small local business in North London, where she lives with her family and their two Bengal cats Kai and Nova.
When she isn’t working Ellie likes to spend time with her family and friends, her cats, and enjoys volunteering for diabetes charities. She has a keen interest in writing, escaping with a good book and expanding her knowledge watching far too many quiz shows!
Austin joined techUK’s Central Government team in March 2024 to launch a workstream within Education and EdTech.
With a career spanning technology, policy, media, events and comms, Austin has worked with technology communities, as well as policy leaders and practitioners in Education, Central and Local Government and the NHS.
Cutting his teeth working for Skills Matter, London’s developer community hub, Austin then moved to GovNet Communications where he launched Blockchain Live and the Cyber Security and Data Protection Summit. For the last 3 years he has worked with leaders in Education across the state and independent schools sectors, from primary up to higher education, with a strong research interest in technology and education management.
Programme Manager, Cyber Security and Central Government, techUK
Annie Collings
Programme Manager, Cyber Security and Central Government, techUK
Annie joined techUK as the Programme Manager for Cyber Security and Central Government in September 2023. In this role, she supports the Cyber Security SME Forum, engaging regularly with key government and industry stakeholders to advance the growth and development of SMEs in the cyber sector.
Before joining techUK, Annie was an Account Manager at a specialist healthcare agency, where she provided public affairs support to a wide range of medical technology clients. She also gained experience as an intern in both an MP’s constituency office and with the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed. Annie holds a degree in International Relations from Nottingham Trent University.
Ella joined techUK in November 2023 as a Markets Team Assistant, supporting the Justice and Emergency Services, Central Government and Financial Services Programmes.
Before joining the team, she was working at the Magistrates' Courts in legal administration and graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2022. Ella attained an undergraduate degree in History and Politics, and a master's degree in International Relations and Security Studies, with a particular interest in studying asylum rights and gendered violence.
In her spare time she enjoys going to the gym, watching true crime documentaries, travelling, and making her best attempts to become a better cook.