As reported by outlets like The Times, Ellis has told PwC workers in an internal livestreamed presentation last week that “For professional services, where researching and summarising data is a key part of junior roles, AI has the potential to fast-track year one trainees to year three. You’re freeing people up to do more.”

Further, “The latest wave of AI will likely bring people back to the office. People are going to want to learn from others face-to-face, and the best way a human can differentiate themselves from a robot is in person.”

AI and Modern Work Life
While there’s been much musing on how AI could impact employment — research from the World Economic Forum, for instance, found that AI is to certainly play a part in “significant labour market disruption” — Ellis’ comments raise an interesting question: Could where people work be influenced by AI’s rapid development and deployment?

The COVID-19 pandemic saw an increased adoption of hybrid and remote working models by employers across the globe — and for many employees, it was an introduction to alternative ways of working outwith the status quo of full-time, in-office working.

According to a survey commissioned by Willo — the Scots asynchronous video interview platform — for example, more than a third of Scots would now quit their job if their employer wouldn’t let them work from home, with people under the age of 45 being more likely to consider doing so.

Data gathered by LinkedIn corroborates the desire for employers to offer work from home options; more than a third of workers across the UK said they would quit if their employer demanded them to work at the office full-time.

To boot, according to Willo’s survey — and despite of the cost-of-living crisis — more than half of Scottish respondents (57%) also said they were unlikely to consider working from an office again.

But could these statistics change? Could AI ultimately lure workers back to the office due to a want to show both face and value in person amid AI’s numerous capabilities?

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AI and the Future of Work
Job security in the face of rapidly-developing technology was already a noted concern for workers. According to PwC’s 2022 annual global workforce survey — published before ChatGPT was released — a third of people said they were worried about the prospect of their role being replaced by technology within three years time.

Since generative AI chatbot ChatGPT was made open to the public in November 2022, employers have been increasingly eyeing generative AI’s potential: 45% of execs say ChatGPT has led to increased investment in AI, according to a recent Gartner survey. Meanwhile, IBM’s CEO, Arvind Krishna, said in an interview that IBM expects to pause hiring for job roles that could be done by artificial intelligence.

Like many other companies looking to be at the cutting-edge of technology, PwC is also embracing AI. Last month, PwC US announced plans to invest $1 billion over the next three years to expand and scale its artificial intelligence offerings.

The company has also announced a “strategic alliance” with Harvey — a startup funded by the OpenAI Startup Fund — which creates AI tools for professional services.

However, as employer interest and investment in AI clearly increases after ChatGPT’s explosive entrance, it’s yet to be seen whether AI adoption will ultimately influence people to go back to the office.