Generative artificial intelligence (AI) “could increase the size of the Portuguese economy by 15 billion euros”, equivalent to 6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), reveals a Public First study commissioned by Google published this Tuesday.
According to the report, generative AI (capable of generating text, images and video) “could increase the size of the Portuguese economy by 15 billion euros (or the equivalent of 8% of the Gross Value Added or 6% of the Gross Domestic Product ) and save, on average, more than 80 hours a year for each worker, the equivalent of two weeks of work.”
Furthermore, “by helping everyone in Portugal focus on more productive and creative tasks, AI can accelerate economic growth and, in turn, generate progress on social challenges,” the commentary reads.
The Públic First study “shows that 86% of workers in Portugal think that generative AI tools will help them be more productive, a figure that increases to 91% for office workers.”
The implementation of AI in companies “to help preventively control risks and improve the cybersecurity capabilities of workers, Portugal could mitigate 690 million euros of cybersecurity risks,” the study concludes.
Regarding Google searches and ads, the report notes that these tools “supported exports to the Portuguese economy by 400 million euros last year”, and it is also estimated that technology services “are producing an improvement of 11,600 millions of euros in the productivity of workers”.
In total, the study notes, “Google contributed to the creation of more than 86,000 local jobs last year in outsourced companies.”
According to the report, in Portugal “83% of people say they support the use of AI tools to help people/governments reduce the risks they face due to extreme weather events, e.g. forest fires, floods, waves of heat”, among others, with 80% defend this tool to reduce carbon emissions by managing energy use.
More than half (58%) support using AI to eliminate monotonous tasks at work and two-thirds to help them make more environmentally sustainable decisions.
“Since 2016, we have trained more than 135,000 people in Portugal in digital skills through the Digital Atelier and have worked with the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) to provide two million euros in credits for AI research “, says Google, adding that it distributed “6,000 professional certificates, in collaboration with APDC, in courses such as UX, IT Support, project management and others.”
Source: TSF
