Yahoo Finance UK failing to protect workers from AI threat, union claims
The government is failing to protect workers from being “exploited” by new AI technologies, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has said.
The union claimed AI-powered technologies are making “high-risk, life changing” decisions about workers’ lives. These decisions include line-managing, hiring and firing staff.
Left unchecked, the TUC warns that AI could lead to greater discrimination at work across the economy.
TUC assistant general secretary Kate Bell said: “AI is going to transform the way millions work in this country and is already being used across the economy to line-manage, and hire and fire staff.
“Without fair rules, this could lead to widespread discrimination and unfair treatment at work.
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“But the government is refusing to put in place the necessary guardrails to stop people from being exploited."
The TUC is calling on employers to disclose to workers how AI is being used in the workplace to make decisions about them.
And it said that every worker should be entitled to a human review of decisions made by AI systems so they can challenge decisions that are unfair and discriminatory.
Bell added: “Instead of clear and enforceable protections, ministers have issued a series of vague and flimsy commitments that are not worth the paper they are written on. And they have failed to provide regulators with the resources they need to do their jobs properly.
“It’s essential that employment law keeps pace with the AI revolution. But last month’s dismal AI white paper spectacularly failed to do that.”
A poll conducted by the union last year revealed that a majority want stronger regulation of new technology at work.
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Seven in 10 (72%) workers fear that without careful regulation, using technology to make decisions about workers could increase unfair treatment, compared to 61% in 2020.
Eight in 10 (77%) support no monitoring outside working hours, suggesting strong support for a right to disconnect.
Robin Allen, AI and employment rights lawyer, said: “More money, more expertise, more cross-regulatory working, more urgent interventions, more control of AI: without these it will not be just a race to the bottom for workers’ rights, the whole idea of any rights at work will become illusory.”
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