The world is holding its breath to see if the US tech industry can bring human-level artificial intelligence. Therefore, we will completely rewrite the social contract and the economy. – Experts warn that the current repetition of technology is already reshaping workplaces in insidious ways.
This week, the Federation of European Trade Unions (ETUC), a group representing nearly 45 million workers in 40 European countries, released a comprehensive report on the disturbing impact of algorithms that increase control over the workplace.
The 70-page Tome, entitled “Algorithm Negotiation,” illustrates the basic facts about algorithm management, the use of AI programs to oversee worker work. Far from dystopian fantasy, ETUC warns readers of the astonishing rise of technology. In fact, an early study this year found that 79% of EU work sites (90% of the US) already use at least one algorithm management tool to manage ranks and files.
Most of us roll our eyes when our bosses deploy new software in our workplace, but algorithm management has already changed the power dynamics in our workplace significantly. And, as ETUC warns, these changes seem to never fall into the environment in favor of workers.
Ultimately, the ETUC Guide will identify features based on the seven risks that come from AI governance, or your perspective. Discriminatory work allocation, wage fluctuations, loss of worker management, constant surveillance, unfair performance assessment, automatic punishment, and non-payment.
“Algorithm management is usually used to determine job allocation and payments in an opaque and often discriminatory way,” the report reads. “Workers must compete with intensive surveillance that reduces autonomy and undermine privacy. Workers are evaluated in a way that is not transparent and does not have the opportunity to input workers.”
“Perhaps at worst, workers face algorithmically determined punishment, including loss of work, because they are unable to communicate with human bosses.”
Algorithm management is now embedded in unstable, low-paid jobs such as Ride Calls, warehouse work, and crowdwork, but is rapidly expanding to sectors such as therapy, legal work, and healthcare. In other words, just because you're not making a living from the app now doesn't mean you won't be in the future.
Fortunately, ETUC offers solutions to combat AI Panopticon. The first is a list of victory already won across the EU in places like Denmark, and the rent A-Maid app HILFR agreed to give workers a comprehensive explanation of all algorithmically determined decisions that build previously negotiated dignity and the dignity of the sick day of the minimum wage and salary.
If the company is not so happy to share data about the system, the report highlights the tactics that workers can use to crack algorithms. These begin with polite requests for corporate data in accordance with EU data laws.
If that doesn't work, there are fewer official ways to rely on. These include sock puppet techniques in which gig workers create multiple accounts to compare data with the main profile, reverse engineering, more labor-intensive peaks to raw data, and “counter apps” like ubercheats, which are used to audit algorithm management software.
Ultimately, the report concludes, a counterattack with algorithm management, rather than “reinventing the wheel, adding new spokes.”
Labor details: The Uber driver says he has been locked out of the app and remains in the caf cask limbo.
