AI Reconfigures Work and Knowledge, Echoing Britain’s 46% Output Gain With 12% Wage Growth
Updated
Updated · KPMG Newsroom · Jul 6
AI Reconfigures Work and Knowledge, Echoing Britain’s 46% Output Gain With 12% Wage Growth
1 articles · Updated · KPMG Newsroom · Jul 6
Summary
AI is framed as a general-purpose technology on the scale of steam and electricity, reshaping work, knowledge and responsibility rather than simply adding another software tool.
46% output-per-worker growth versus 12% real-wage growth in Britain around 1780–1840 is cited as a warning that productivity gains can arrive long before broad wage gains if organizations fail to redesign around the technology.
That lesson points to workflow re-architecture: firms that rebuild end-to-end processes around AI are more likely to capture gains than those that merely insert models into existing tasks.
Entry-level analysis, basic coding, standard reporting and customer support face the clearest substitution pressure, even as roles such as model auditors, AI safety specialists and workflow architects expand.
OECD and IMF research cited in the report suggests AI’s effects on inequality remain mixed, making skills, diffusion, competition policy and strong foundational education central to spreading the gains.