In recent years, the United Kingdom has witnessed a growing public conversation about artificial intelligence. Much of this debate centres on employment, ethics, and the future of education. Yet, beneath these headline-grabbing topics lies a quieter, far more democratic revolution: ordinary Britons using AI tools like ChatGPT to automate simple tasks in their personal and professional lives.
Automation once belonged to software engineers, IT departments, and large organisations with deep technical resources. It required specialised programming knowledge, expensive software, and dedicated time. But today, for perhaps the first time in modern technological history, this barrier has nearly vanished. With the help of conversational AI, people with no coding background can create simple scripts—small, efficient computer instructions—to eliminate repetitive tasks, streamline workflows, and regain precious hours each week.
This article aims to explore that transformation. Written for a general UK audience, it examines how ChatGPT enables anyone to build automation scripts, why this matters, and how citizens can begin applying these skills immediately. I write not only as a member of a UK academic council but also as someone deeply committed to public digital literacy. I believe automation literacy will soon become as essential as email literacy once was.
The goal here is not merely to explain the mechanics of using ChatGPT as a scripting partner. It is also to offer perspective, reassurance, and empowerment: reassurance that AI can be a helpful, accessible tool, and empowerment in showing that automation is now within reach for everyone.
Over the next several sections, we will look at real examples, practical steps, ethical considerations, and broader societal implications. By the end, readers should feel confident experimenting with ChatGPT to automate parts of their daily digital lives—safely, responsibly, and creatively.
Life in Britain is increasingly organised around digital systems—banking, shopping, communication, administration, entertainment, and professional tasks. Although these services make life more convenient, they also create new layers of digital complexity. Many Britons now spend surprising amounts of time on:
downloading or organising files
formatting documents
extracting information from emails
pulling data from spreadsheets
updating records across different platforms
writing the same messages repeatedly
searching for misplaced digital items
generating reports
cleaning up data for work
Each of these tasks might be small, but when repeated daily, they create digital friction.
Economists frequently note that the UK has faced stagnant productivity growth for more than a decade. While national productivity trends result from many structural factors, individuals can influence their personal productivity by automating routine digital tasks. Even small automation wins—saving five minutes here, ten minutes there—compound significantly over weeks and months.
Historically, automation was the domain of:
analysts
developers
IT professionals
data scientists
software engineers
But now, because ChatGPT can write, explain, test, and revise code by simply talking with the user, automation has become democratised. The barrier is not technical expertise; it is simply curiosity and willingness to experiment.
The most powerful feature of ChatGPT is not its programming knowledge but its ability to translate plain English into working code. You can tell ChatGPT:
“Create a script that renames all files in a folder based on the date they were created.”
And it will generate ready-to-run code in:
Python
PowerShell
Bash
JavaScript
AppleScript
VBA (for Excel and Office)
More importantly, it can explain what each line does, adjust the code to meet changing requirements, and help troubleshoot errors.
People who have never written a line of code often fear scripting. But ChatGPT turns the process into a guided conversation. It can explain concepts step by step, rewrite scripts in simpler form, or provide instructions tailored to the user’s operating system—whether Windows, macOS, or Linux.
Many users discover that they learn basic programming unintentionally simply by using ChatGPT as a helper.
When a script fails, ChatGPT can help diagnose why. Users can paste error messages directly into the chat and receive simple instructions for fixing the problem—something that previously required experience or lengthy online searches.
Scripts often need refining. A user might begin with a simple file-sorting script but later want it to:
skip certain folders
log the output to a text file
run automatically every morning
send an email when completed
With each adjustment, ChatGPT can modify the script accordingly—without the user needing to rewrite it from scratch.
Below is a set of real, practical examples accessible to any UK resident with a computer. These examples illustrate what can be automated using ChatGPT and a few simple instructions.
Instead of manually dragging files into folders:
group photos by month
automatically rename files by date
organise PDFs by content
ChatGPT can generate scripts for all of these.
Automation scripts can help with:
downloading bank statements monthly
archiving old documents
converting file formats
sorting receipts
These tasks, though small, consume time and mental energy.
Many British workers use Excel daily. ChatGPT can generate:
macros for cleaning data
scripts for merging spreadsheets
automated reports
formatting tools
Even those who fear Excel’s formulas can now automate repetitive processes.
ChatGPT can help create scripts that:
filter or categorise emails
extract attachments automatically
send templated responses
generate summaries of inbox activity
For people with high email volumes—teachers, managers, administrators—this can be transformative.
Writers, marketers, and students can automate:
template generation
keyword extraction
bulk text formatting
document conversion
ChatGPT can generate simple scripts that save hours on content preparation.
Academics and students can automate:
citation formatting
PDF extraction
dataset cleaning
version control housekeeping
These tasks are ideal for automation and particularly useful for research environments.
This section offers a practical tutorial for any UK reader.
Choose something simple, such as:
renaming files
cleaning a spreadsheet
extracting text from documents
The key is starting small.
A useful template is:
“I want to automate the following task: [description].
Please generate a script for [operating system] using [preferred language].
Explain how to run it safely.”
Request:
What the script does
What each line means
How to modify it
How to avoid errors
Follow ChatGPT’s instructions. If something breaks, copy the error message back into the chat.
Ask ChatGPT to:
add logging
schedule automation
change output formats
include safety checks
A vital ethical and practical step.
Ask ChatGPT to:
add confirmation prompts
prevent accidental deletion
back up files before changes
These steps protect against unintended consequences.
Never feed sensitive data—personal, financial, confidential—into AI tools. Instead, describe the structure of your data.
AI-generated code can be:
inefficient
over-generalised
incomplete
incompatible with your system
Always test scripts on small samples first.
Not every task should be automated. Automation should:
save time
reduce errors
increase clarity
If automation complicates life, scale back.
Automation is supportive—not authoritative. Always review results before acting on them.
For decades, the UK has grappled with uneven digital skills across regions and socioeconomic groups. ChatGPT may help narrow this divide by making automation accessible to people irrespective of educational background.
Small firms often operate without IT departments. Automation scripts can provide:
cost savings
more efficient processes
better use of data
relief from administrative overload
Local councils and public services could benefit from staff who understand everyday automation: clearing backlogs, improving data quality, and reducing paperwork.
Because AI lowers the barrier to technical skills, it fosters a culture of experimentation and curiosity—a crucial ingredient for a modern knowledge economy.
As a UK academic council member, I believe that automation literacy should soon become a foundational digital skill taught not only in universities but also through adult education, community workshops, libraries, and workplace training programmes.
Imagine a Britain where:
pensioners automate personal admin
shop owners automate inventory tracking
nurses automate routine documentation
students automate research workflows
charities automate donation processing
council staff automate mundane data tasks
This is not fantasy; it is happening already, quietly, among early adopters. The challenge now is ensuring equitable access and responsible use.
Automation has always promised efficiency, but it was often inaccessible. ChatGPT represents a turning point: a tool that listens, explains, and collaborates. For the first time, ordinary Britons can automate parts of daily life without deep technical training.
The future of automation in the UK will not be built solely by technologists—it will be built by teachers, carers, shopkeepers, students, office workers, volunteers, and retirees. It will be built by you.
If you have ever repeated a task on your computer and thought, There must be a better way, ChatGPT is your opportunity to find that better way.
Start small. Experiment freely. Learn in conversation. And take part in shaping the next chapter of Britain's digital evolution.
