AI’s impact on productivity has been widely discussed, but a new report by Pearson reveals that its true economic potential will only be realized when paired with continuous learning. Released at the World Economic Forum, the report, titled “Mind the Learning Gap: The Missing Link in AI’s Productivity Promise,” emphasizes the importance of upskilling workers to work alongside AI, rather than simply replacing them.
The findings suggest that by equipping workers with the necessary skills to effectively collaborate with AI, the U.S. economy could see an increase of $4.8 trillion to $6.6 trillion by 2034, or around 15% of the current GDP. This reinforces the idea that AI investments need to go hand-in-hand with learning and development to unlock their full value.
Despite billions of dollars invested in AI infrastructure globally, businesses have struggled to show consistent productivity improvements beyond coding tasks. Pearson’s research identifies a significant “learning gap,” preventing both employers and employees from fully leveraging AI’s capabilities. Without addressing this gap, the return on investment (ROI) from AI remains limited.
Pearson’s CEO Omar Abbosh explained that AI could drive long-term transformative change, but businesses face the dual challenge of rapidly adopting technology while ensuring employees are prepared for the shift. Building human skills alongside AI implementation is essential to boosting confidence and driving positive outcomes for companies.
To support this shift, Pearson introduces the DEEP Learning Framework, which provides four actionable steps for executives to align technology deployment with skill-building. By making learning an integral part of the AI adoption process, companies can maximize productivity and improve ROI.
