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Tera Allas CBE

@teraallas.bsky.social
477 followers 36 following 397 posts
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Even if, like me, you never watch videos, you must watch this, by @emollick.bsky.social (and his AI assistants). (Click into the Substack and play it with sound on.) The Bitter Lesson: “What you craft by hand today, next year it [AI] might do.” www.oneusefulthing.org/p/the-dot-an...
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Today’s reflection on the NHS Productivity Commission’s findings: what is the NHS’s North Star? People across the NHS make difficult choices every day. When goals compete, they need a shared purpose to guide those choices. Is that purpose clear enough?
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
One thing that seems to have got slightly lost in the noise around revised UK labour productivity growth figures: our output per hour _level_ still remains significantly lower than other peer countries'. #dataisbeautiful
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A week ago, we published the NHS Productivity Commission’s final report: bit.ly/4AFg6EN. Thank you to my co-chair, Anita Charlesworth, the team at @healthfoundation.bsky.social, our Commissioners and our Expert Advisory Panel. It has been an absolute pleasure. More soon! #NHSProductivityCommission
bit.ly
Breaking the cycle
The Commission’s report sets out the conditions needed to break the current cycle and deliver lasting productivity growth in the NHS.
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Reposted by Tera Allas CBE
National Institute of Economic and Social Research @niesrorg.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
#WeekendWatching 📺 Did you miss our webinar on measuring #productivity yesterday? Watch it back here: A stellar panel with with a stellar chair: James Benford, @teraallas.bsky.social, Richard Hughes, and @chrisgiles.ft.com ⬇️ niesr.ac.uk/event/uks-pr...
niesr.ac.uk
Is the UK's Productivity Revival Real, or a Measurement Illusion? - NIESR
On 17 September, the ONS will publish its new component-based approach to measuring hours worked. This webinar discusses the implications of the new methodology and what it means for policymakers.
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
UK payrolls showed a bigger-than-expected decline in employment in August 2026. All of the decline came from low- or medium/low-AI-adoption sectors. #dataisbeautiful
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Go to a discussion on AI adoption, and you'll hear wildly different numbers about what share of businesses are using AI. Who you ask and what you ask really really matter. This McKinsey research is great for the 'large company' perspective: www.mckinsey.com/capabilities... #dataisbeautiful
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Thoughtful and lucid article, well worth a read. I don't agree with everything, but like the emphasis on trust, human values, and demand. If incomes collapse, who will buy any of the AI-enabled output? #dataisbeautiful
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Reposted by Tera Allas CBE
The Productivity Institute @productivity.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
We've rounded off Day 1 of The Productivity Institute Academic Conference with a panel discussion exploring the future of productivity research. Thanks to Jun Du, @teraallas.bsky.social, @gilesyb.bsky.social, @bartvanark.bsky.social and Luke Mackle for sharing their insights.
An image of the panel sitting and speaking at the front of the lecture theatre.
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Reposted by Tera Allas CBE
The Productivity Institute @productivity.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Innovation, investment and risk were at the heart of this afternoon's panel. From @teraallas.bsky.social and Stephen Roper's research on the UK's investment gap to examples of innovation success like Atom Valley, the discussion explored what it takes to turn ambition into productivity growth.
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
UK ICT productivity is booming. Is it due to AI? Since early 2023, official output per hour in the ICT sector has risen 13.1%. A real-time proxy suggests an even larger rise: 31.8%. AI is driving some—but far from all—of it. Read more: teraallas.substack.com/p/ai-and-pro... #dataisbeautiful
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Really interesting map from @resolutionfoundation.org on 'growth in every postcode' (bit.ly/4r3BDCB) - plus a quick analysis of mine (at LAD level) on whether it's a meaningful metric (beyond rhetoric). Data says: probably not. #dataisbeautiful
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
What a pleasure to contribute to the latest episode of BBC Radio 4 Rethink, presented by the fantastic @benansell.bsky.social. AI sovereignty is a hot topic -- but is it even feasible (let alone affordable) for the UK to be independent of other nations? Listen here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
bbc.co.uk
BBC Sounds - Rethink, Rethink... who owns our technology
Is it time for a Tech-xit?
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Interesting new TPI working paper showing a positive correlation between digital skills intensity and labour share. At odds with the "tech erodes labour's share" story. #dataisbeautiful www.productivity.ac.uk/wp-content/u...
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Home is where the heart - and increasingly, the work - is. The latest data from the ONS shows just how established home working has become in British businesses. It makes economic sense. #dataisbeautiful
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Terrific analysis, particularly relevant to the AI boom. However, my observation of 'real life' behaviour of people - consumers and managers - is that their decisions are not nearly as sensitive to forward-looking expectations as some models might suggest. bankunderground.co.uk/2026/08/20/i...
bankunderground.co.uk
Is higher productivity inflationary or disinflationary?
Ludovica Ambrosino, Jenny Chan and Silvana Tenreyro Recent technological advances raise an important question for policymakers: will higher productivity be disinflationary or inflationary? A coming…
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Really enjoyed contributing to this important article by Irina Anghel and @tomreesjournalist.bsky.social on how the vast health budget could be spent better. #dataisbeautiful Read it it here: bit.ly/4wF2o1t
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The first, and probably the last, time I'm mentioned in the same article with Messi! Great piece by Andy Haldane: when it comes to budget measures, less is more, and uncertainty kills confidence, consumption, and investment. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Well... "all" UK businesses cannot be doing this, given that 65% of firms don't actively use AI at all. And there's no evidence that frontier model access is a bottleneck in productivity enhancing adoption. It's just not about the models. #dataisbeautiful teraallas.substack.com/p/ai-and-pro...
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
This sums up the UK's economic conundrum in a single chart: high returns, low domestic investment. Costs are a key issue - but can't explain it all. If you know what else holds UK investment back, I'd love to hear it. Read the full report here: bit.ly/4fXxPPx #dataisbeautiful
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Fascinating Bank of England analysis of spill-over effects of a potential AI crash. The UK is not immune, and a USD depreciation could exacerbate the macroeconomic effects, increasing the downside risks to an AI crash globally. bankunderground.co.uk/2026/08/13/i...
bankunderground.co.uk
If AI disappoints? The transmission of US big-tech earnings news
There is growing concern among policymakers, international organisations, and even big-tech Chief Executive Officers (exhibits I, II and III) that the current artificial intelligence (AI) boom feat…
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
With further devolution on the agenda, this is essential reading. Without a coherent, fact based and shared narrative and strategy, and institutional capital, no amount of devolution will lead to regeneration.
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Should we replace politicians with AI? In the UK, 42% of people trust AI chatbots to act in their best interests, compared with just 25% who say the same for elected representatives. Read on to see why, and how AI could complement humans to deliver better policy. bit.ly/4pYDcBt
bit.ly
AI and democracy: should we replace politicians with AI?
AI has many strengths relative to humans that could make it a better policy maker—if we use it wisely
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Must-read for anyone in charge of AI deployment. "When we ask how they define success for an agentic system, they stare at us blankly". Don't be one of them! bit.ly/4ch9thf
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Great article which UK needs to pay attention to (tinyurl.com/37epkk3x ). According to the OECD, UK is among the highest industrial-strategy spenders (3.2% of GDP), and spend is dominated by support to the self-employed and SMEs, not strategic sectors (tinyurl.com/2vm3ybd8).
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
What if technology and policy got us to a point where you didn’t have to work for money? Would you choose a life of leisure, learning, or service? And how might society evolve? Some big questions before heading off for a summer break... open.substack.com/pub/teraalla... #dataisbeautiful
open.substack.com
AI and humanity: what if you didn't have to work?
If AI eliminated the need for paid work, what kind of life would people choose?
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
A really important new paper from The Productivity Institute: the UK's public sector investment has historically been a whopping 40% below its optimum. So don't believe marginal tweaks are the answer. #dataisbeautiful www.productivity.ac.uk/research/pub...
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Interesting data from the ONS on AI in UK businesses. "Over two-fifths of businesses report no barriers" and yet "The proportion of using AI of has increased to [only] 35% of businesses ". If there are no barriers, why are businesses not adopting? Here's why: open.substack.com/pub/teraalla...
open.substack.com
AI adoption: the obstacle you can't see
Most non-adopting businesses haven't even considered using AI
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Good to see this excellent summary and good to be quoted. But I would not call keeping public sector gross investment flat as share of total managed expenditure "prioritising" it. Better than cutting it, but not a real prioritisation towards growth-enhancing capital. observer.co.uk/news/politic...
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
AI adoption may be rising, but belief in its benefits is falling. New ONS data show a sharp deterioration in public attitudes to AI across age and gender groups in Great Britain. These attitudes matter for purposeful, beneficial adoption. open.substack.com/pub/teraalla... #dataisbeautiful
open.substack.com
AI adoption may be rising—but belief in its benefits is falling
New data suggest a sharp deterioration in whether people think AI will benefit them
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Loved this article! At first glance, the theme, "AI first movers" may sound like consultant jargon. But read the whole thing and there are profound, data-driven, insights for leaders to pay attention to.
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
What do The Phantom of the Opera and AIDA have to do with AI adoption? There's a 'phantom' obstacle that's stopping firms from adopting AI. It is the first 'A' of the mnemonic AIDA: attention. Without it, other adoption barriers are irrelevant. #dataisbeautiful open.substack.com/pub/teraalla...
open.substack.com
AI adoption: the obstacle you can't see
Most non-adopting businesses haven't even considered using AI
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Another hilarious moment with Claude.ai. I asked it to criticise a piece I'd written and a) it thought the bits I wrote myself (albeit while being somewhat distracted) were "the most AI-sounding"; and b) the bits I'd asked ChatGPT to draft were "the strongest writing". Some rather brutal feedback!
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Great reporting by FT's Tej Parikh on a great new report by McKinsey Global Institute. One of the reasons investment in the UK (and other countries) is so low is that it's just really expensive. #dataisbeautiful giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
The AI adoption gap has its roots in capabilities built—or not built—well before the latest AI wave. Pre-existing management practices, organisational and human capital, and data and software assets, all help explain which businesses have adopted AI. substack.com/@teraallas/n... #dataisbeautiful
substack.com
AI and productivity: what enables adoption?
AI adoption is not constrained by models; it is constrained by complementary assets
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
UK #AI adoption remains surprisingly low (see updated chart with June 2026 data). Read about the barriers, the productivity paradox, and the 'ladder of leakage', in our recent article: mck.co/4b8w4wh #dataisbeautiful
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Interesting data on the UK's infrastructure investment and capital stocks. Higher than I had expected - but highly concentrated in electricity. #dataisbeautiful bit.ly/44FgHHH
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Really pleased to see this published. The UK’s underinvestment puzzle needs solving if we want to build a prosperous and resilient future.
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Why do Brits fail to invest for the future (incl. climate adaptation)? This international comparison is striking and, while descriptive rather than causal, suggests more short-termism than comparator countries. Full paper here: bit.ly/4atmsvu #dataisbeautiful
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Reposted by Tera Allas CBE
The Productivity Institute @productivity.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
🎙️ New Productivity Puzzles episode! Why do UK firms not invest? @bartvanark.bsky.social talks with @teraallas.bsky.social, Stephen Roper & Catherine Mann about why firms hesitate to invest and how management decisions shape productivity. Listen: www.productivity.ac.uk/podcast/why-...
Podcast promotional graphic for “Productivity Puzzles” featuring a circular headshot of a speaker in the lower left and a large quote on the right. The quote reads: “Around a third of firms say that they invest largely to support future profits and growth. But only around 11% are identifying productivity as one of the key aspects in their investment.” Text identifies Stephen Roper, Founding Director of the Enterprise Research Centre. Branding includes The Productivity Institute and UKRI ESRC logos.
Podcast promotional graphic for “Productivity Puzzles” featuring a circular headshot of a speaker in the lower left and a large quote on the right. The quote reads: “If UK managers are more risk-averse than those in other countries… then it puts an even further importance on policymakers to think about stability, consistency and strategy over time.” Text identifies Tera Allas, Honorary Professor at Alliance Manchester Business School. Branding includes The Productivity Institute and UKRI ESRC logos.
Podcast promotional graphic for “Productivity Puzzles” featuring a circular headshot of a speaker in the lower left and a large quote on the right. The quote reads: “The asymmetry in the way firms respond to the macroeconomic environment is very important, because downturns are very deleterious to investment, and upturns take a while to bring investment online.” Text identifies Catherine L Mann, Honorary Professor at Alliance Manchester Business School and External Member of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee. Branding includes The Productivity Institute and UKRI ESRC logos.
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
The increased frequency of hot weather events has been predictable for decades. Why do Brits find it so hard to invest for the future (in this case, climate adaptation)? #dataisbeautiful
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Is AI stealing jobs? Is it boosting productivity? Those are the two biggest economic questions about AI. Remarkably, the UK's official statistics are struggling to answer either of them. A look at what the data can — and can't — tell us: open.substack.com/pub/teraalla... #dataisbeautiful
open.substack.com
AI and productivity: what the statistics (won't) tell us
The UK lacks timely and granular data on a critical economic variable
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Oh dear. Slightly depressing answer from Claude.ai on (the hugely important question of) how UK investment returns compare to other countries’. I wouldn’t be asking the question if we had already proved it in our previous paper…
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
The UK has ranked near the bottom of the investment league table at least since the 1950s, with serious consequences for our productivity and prosperity. Could this reflect cultural attitudes and dispositions among UK decision makers? Yes! Read our research here: bit.ly/4atmsvu #dataisbeautiful
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Only 11% of UK businesses intend to increase investment in the near term. Yet, few firms cite access to finance or inadequate returns as a reason. Read our @productivity.bsky.social research on how UK managers' attitudes may be constraining profitable investment: bit.ly/4atmsvu #dataisbeautiful
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
How should governments respond when AI’s economic impacts remain deeply uncertain? A new piece on “strategy under uncertainty”: no-regrets moves, optionality, and why policy should avoid overcommitting to any single AI future: teraallas.substack.com/p/ai-and-the... #dataisbeautiful
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
What is holding back the #investment that we so desperately need for #productivity growth? One reason could be that the UK population, and its managers, are consistently more risk averse than comparator countries'. Read our new research: bit.ly/4atmsvu
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
New UK job-ad data suggests the labour market for young graduates is weakening significantly. But the story is more complicated than “AI is replacing graduates”. #dataisbeautiful open.substack.com/pub/teraalla...
open.substack.com
AI and young graduates: some worrying patterns
The labour market for new graduates is undoubtedly tough - but it's not all down to AI
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Enjoyed contributing to this balanced piece by Sam Fleming, Valentina Romei and Philip Stafford in the FT (link below). We might be entering another cycle of differential inflation for households. Latest ONS data on this published today (see chart). giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
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Tera Allas CBE @teraallas.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
New UK job-ad data suggests AI exposure is not affecting all jobs equally. AI seems to be displacing routine office and service work—not graduate occupations. So far, this looks like an acceleration of a much older labour-market trend. #dataisbeautiful open.substack.com/pub/teraalla...
open.substack.com
AI and jobs: exposure may be starting to bite—but not everywhere
New data on UK online job ads shows weaker demand for routine office and service work
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