Workers need to become co-designers of workplace deployments, rather than being replaced or controlled by AI.
Artificial intelligence has been making headlines ever since ChatGPT blew the world away with its ability to mimic human conversations. ChatGPT is great at mimicking humans, so you can have conversations, write lectures, and draft legislative amendments.
The reaction to such generative AI is so strong that many celebrities have called for a pause in development. Some countries, such as Italy and now perhaps Spain, are even trying to ban ChatGPT due to concerns over the use of their citizens’ personal data. ChatGPT task force to ensure that relevant rules are applied consistently across the country.
urgent request
The European Union will tackle AI with a much-controversial AI law. But as is often the case, the world of work is going off the radar.
As it is currently being drafted, this significant new regulation, if agreed, will require AI producers to rate their technology from ‘low risk’ to ‘high risk’ before putting it on the market. No word on the impact of AI in the workplace. But if ChatGPT has proven anything, it’s that AI needs more than self-evaluation.
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Trade unions have long called for the right regulatory framework to bring AI into the workplace. This is urgently needed to protect workers’ rights. Unfortunately, this demand has so far fallen on deaf ears of policy makers.
Hopefully, ChatGPT serves as a wake-up call, demonstrating that AI is a disruptive technology with unexpected possibilities and effects. Therefore, we need regulations that can ensure that they are used for the benefit of industry, the economy and society as a whole.
increased stress
There is growing evidence of the impact AI will have on the world of work. A recent survey-based study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development found that workers in manufacturing are experiencing increasing intensity and stress as a result of the faster pace of AI-directed work, and that they are taking their privacy seriously. I found myself becoming more and more concerned about data.
But the study also showed that the solution lies in involving workers through trade unions. AI tends to have a better impact when workers are consulted on the adoption of new technology and trained to use it effectively.
In fact, AI is changing the nature of work, so large investments in training, especially on-the-job training and lifelong learning programs, are essential. In manufacturing, it is associated with deskilling of workers, especially those with moderate qualifications. This creates a dangerous polarization between skilled and unskilled workers.
A good example is the electric engine, which is seeking to replace its fossil fuel-based internal combustion engine predecessor. Most of the diagnosis and repair in the event of damage is done by AI, leaving little room for mechanics, or even engineers.
The problem of disskilling goes hand in hand with the increase in “invisible tasks” created by AI. Procedures are never fully automated, as there are always secondary tasks that workers must perform to match the cadence of the AI. Machines may appear to run on their own, but in reality workers are struggling to keep up.
worker feedback
This is clearly not the increased quality of work heralded by the more rosy AI promotions. Again, a good solution is early planning and consultation with workers and their unions.
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This should apply at all levels, but especially at the enterprise level where employees must be involved in co-designing the AI they deploy. Employees understand the impact AI will have on them. Their feedback is very valuable and should be taken into consideration.
As ChatGPT shows, we are at a crossroads in the development and use of AI, and unexpected features are emerging rapidly. But there is no technical determinism. On the contrary, smart and rapidly evolving regulations, urgently put in place, can not only avoid the risk of falling behind the pace of innovation, but also shape its character.
The world of work cannot by default be treated as a testbed for new AI, and behavior during training does not prevent this. Therefore, another legislative initiative is needed to address the impact of AI in the workplace and ensure that AI improves, rather than undermines, the quality of work.
IndustriALL Europe represents manufacturing workers across the continent to develop strategies and mobilize the right tools to reap the benefits of AI applications in the workplace.
Isabelle Barthes is Deputy General Secretary of industryAll Europe.
Patricia Velicu is Senior Policy Advisor for industryAll Europe.
