User Error: AI, Tech, & Workers Rights
By: Kairos Action, SiX, and Economic Security Project
Surveillance, work intensification, algorithmic management, and loss of autonomy are not new trends
in the workplace. These are tactics that abusive employers have used for centuries. But the rapid
introduction of technology, especially artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technologies, in the workplace
supercharges existing trends that are harmful to workers.
Technology can be used to advance or undermine progress. Technology does not have to undermine
workers’ rights. Tech companies and employers that use these tools are taking advantage of the
emergent nature of these technologies to dictate regulatory frameworks, including whether there is one
at all. But contrary to what the tech industry might suggest, the proliferation of these abusive tools isn’t
inevitable or uncontrollable. They can and should be regulated, including prohibited, to safeguard our
rights.
It is important for legislators to understand these harms and who is behind them, and to collaborate
with impacted workers and work toward solutions. Black, brown, indigenous, and immigrant workers,
especially those who are undocumented, continue to be disproportionately at risk of being exploited,
discriminated against, and made victims of predatory practices in the workplace by these technologies.
Both private- and public-sector workers are also impacted, and while the use of tech in the workplace
undoubtedly affects blue-collar workers, the use also extends to white-collar workers such as
educators, writers, lawyers, healthcare professionals, and others, as was highlighted during the SAGAFTRA and WGA strike in 2023.
To read the full report, click here.