The UK trade union raising concern on the ethical use of AI in the workplace

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the UK, shared its opinion on the new UK initiative to establish a single AI watchdog institution for future AI development oversight. The TUC is arguing that the new UK law will dilute the rights of human workers, and has called for stronger protections against AI that is making decisions about workers’ lives and employment. In particular, AI is used in facial recognition technology (to analyze expressions, accents, tone of voice), in devices that record data about worker activity, which can then be analyzed, or in recruiting systems that carry an inherent bias towards certain groups of workers. In their words the UK government didn’t do enough to ensure AI is used ethically in the workplace. They also urged for the inclusion of workers in discussions around AI regulation.

In the response from the UK government, legislators claimed that safeguards will remain in place. Furthermore, AI development will bring more jobs to the market, which will further help the economy grow and, consequently, improve worker conditions.