Yes — for highly repetitive roles (data entry, tier-1 support, scheduling), AI can replace a UK full-time employee at 60–80% of the cost, with higher accuracy and 24/7 availability. For judgement-heavy roles, AI replaces 50–70% of the work, not the role.
Repetitive roles
Yes, 80–100%
Hybrid roles
50–70% of work
Strategic roles
Augment only
Cost vs human
20–40%
Where the role is 80%+ repetitive cognitive work and the remaining judgement can be delegated to a manager:
Where strategic judgement, relationships, or nuanced human decision-making dominate:
Most repetitive workers want to do less repetitive work. Reskill and reassign — the smart play.