Paper short abstract:

This paper is based on a short-term qualitative study completed as part of the Digital Good Network internship programme with the BBC. This research explores the experience and perceptions of participants on an internal Microsoft Copilot pilot at the BBC to provide insight to guide future rollouts.

Paper long abstract:

Technological advancements have created profound shifts in the way work is performed. Some suggest technology enables greater productivity and efficiency at work, speeding up the completion of tasks through automation and increasing industrial output. Others fear widespread unemployment caused by the replacement of human labor by machines.

Recent developments in AI have been no different. Public discourse is dominated by conversations around the transformative impact of Generative AI to work, coupled with growing fears about the potential displacement of workers by this new technology. Scholars, policy-makers, and industry have not reached a consensus on whether generative AI is "good" or "bad" for workers.

This paper is based on research completed as part of the Digital Good Network internship programme with the BBC. This research explores the experiences and perceptions of participants on a recent internal pilot programme of Microsoft's LLM-powered productivity tool, Copilot. The research seeks to establish an understanding of whether the tool allowed people to do more of the work they enjoyed and found purposeful, and less of the work they didn't, and whether there were variations in this experience. It provides recommendations for a responsible meaningful work approach to GenAI adoption that ensures that all workers can have equal access to the tools and resources to facilitate meaningful work.