AI is Saving Workers a Full Workday Each Week, Yet 68% Still Don’t Know How to Use It
A new LSE–Protiviti report finds that workers using AI save a full workday weekly, yet 68% lack training. As global businesses embrace automation, experts warn that the AI skills gap could create a new divide in productivity and opportunity.
Favour Oluoma Solomon 
Artificial intelligence isn’t coming for your job; it’s already working alongside you. The problem is that even though millions of workers are benefiting, most still don't know how to use it efficiently.
A new report by the London School of Economics’ Inclusion Initiative, in partnership with Protiviti, a global consulting firm, reveals a striking divide. According to the study, workers using AI tools save an average of 7.5 hours per week, roughly one full workday, through automation, smart writing assistants, and decision-support systems.
Yet, 68% of employees surveyed reported receiving no AI training in the past year.
This finding shines a harsh light on the growing “AI skills gap,” the disconnect between access to powerful technology and the knowledge required to use it productively.
The Promise of AI Productivity
The report, released on October 28, 2025, analyzed data from over 10,000 professionals across North America, Europe, and Africa.
It found that employees who had received at least basic AI training were 2.5x more likely to report “significant time savings” and higher job satisfaction.
Industries like finance, marketing, law, and logistics topped the list of sectors seeing measurable productivity jumps.
For instance:
Bankers reduce report preparation time by 60% by utilizing AI for data reconciliation.
Campaign output increased by 40% for marketers who used AI content generators.
By using generative AI, legal teams were able to cut down on contract review times by up to 70%.
Yet, despite these gains, most organizations still lack structured AI literacy programs, leaving workers to “learn on the job” or, worse, fall behind.
“AI is creating a new kind of inequality between those who can use it and those who can’t.”
said Dr. Grace Lordan, Director of The Inclusion Initiative at LSE.
“We’re entering an age where digital literacy is no longer optional; it’s a currency.”
The Global Divide
In developed economies like the U.S. and the U.K., companies are investing heavily in AI-driven workflow tools, whereas in Africa and Southeast Asia, adoption remains slower but is promising.
In Nigeria, several fintech and logistics startups, including Flutterwave, Kuda, and Lori Systems, have begun integrating AI-based customer support, fraud detection, and data analytics systems.
However, local experts warn that without adequate AI training and infrastructure, African businesses risk becoming “users” rather than “innovators.”
“We can’t compete globally if we rely solely on imported technology,” said Ifeoma Eke, an AI strategist at Lagos-based ThinkData Hub.
“Nigeria must invest in homegrown AI education; otherwise, the productivity gap will widen.”
Business Impact: Efficiency Without Equity
The LSE–Protiviti report also points out a structural problem. Savings are rarely converted into higher incomes or fewer hours worked.
While companies benefit from efficiency gains, employees report feeling pressure to deliver more output instead of gaining more rest or flexibility.
This echoes earlier phases of automation, where technology boosted productivity but widened inequality between skilled and unskilled workers.
“AI should be freeing humans for creative and strategic work,” said Jonathan Hope, Global Head of AI Ethics at Protiviti.
“Instead, in many organizations, it’s just squeezing more performance from the same workforce.”
The Training Crisis
The report highlights that only 27% of surveyed organizations have a formal AI training policy in place.
The majority of programs among those that do are confined to brief tutorials or one-session workshops, which are rarely sufficient to develop significant capability.
Meanwhile, governments and universities are scrambling to keep up.
The European Commission recently announced funding for AI skills programs targeting 500,000 students by 2030, while the U.S. Department of Labor plans to integrate “AI safety and literacy” modules into federal workforce programs.
African governments, too, are beginning to act. Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) recently launched an initiative to train 10,000 young professionals in machine learning and prompt engineering before the end of 2026.
Still, experts say these efforts must move faster if countries hope to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving digital economy.
The Bigger Picture
The world’s AI transformation isn’t just about productivity; it’s about redefining work itself.
As businesses embrace generative tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, the new competitive advantage won’t just be who has access to AI, but who can use it intelligently, ethically, and creatively.
For Africa’s emerging markets, this moment presents both a warning and an opportunity: a warning that technological dependency could deepen inequality and an opportunity to leapfrog industrial inefficiencies through digital literacy and innovation.
“The next industrial revolution will be cognitive, not mechanical,” said Dr. Lordan. “The future belongs to the trained, not the terrified.”
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