Artificial intelligence to hit workplace like a freight train, energy boss warns

Sky News reported comments from Greg Jackson, founder of Octopus Energy, about the company's use of generative AI in customer service operations.

Key reported points:

• Octopus saw benefits from generative AI in customer service.
• 44% of customer emails were being answered, at least in part, by AI seven weeks after rollout.
• Human employees still managed and checked the AI's output.
• Jackson said the AI deployment would not cost jobs at Octopus.
• Jackson framed AI as enabling growing companies to expand faster and serve customers better, while warning that companies focused on cost-cutting could use it as a job-replacement tool.

Sky News also reported a comparison case from Allen & Overy, where a bespoke AI tool was used by 3,500 lawyers and delivered one or two hours per week of productivity gain per person.

Related reported metric from City A.M.

City A.M. separately reported that Jackson had said the technology was doing the work of 250 people answering customer emails and had received 80% customer satisfaction, compared with 65% achieved by workers.

Source: https://www.cityam.com/ai-doing-the-work-of-over-200-people-at-octopus-chief-executive-says/