Union body tells UK government workers must get a say before AI clocks in

The UK's largest trade union body, the Trades Union Congress (TUC), is urging the government to involve workers in the decision-making process surrounding the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. In a letter to the new AI and Future of Work ministers, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak and assistant general secretary Kate Bell emphasized that the government's current approach to AI should be anchored in three key principles: giving workers a voice, rights, and a fair share.

The TUC's concerns center around the lack of a practical plan that empowers workers to negotiate over AI-related changes, particularly in areas such as algorithmic and surveillance technologies that could impact their jobs and working conditions. The union body argues that employers should not make AI decisions without consulting the affected employees, who should be considered stakeholders in the firms and have a say in shaping the change brought about by AI technologies.

TUC emphasizes that workers need a clear right to negotiate on AI, ensuring that their expertise and interests are taken into account before any fair and effective AI adoption. The union also highlights the success of AI adoption in the Nordic countries, attributing it to the higher level of structural power these workers have to shape technology, making them more open to its effective use.

The TUC draws a comparison to the US, where the concentration of wealth in the hands of tech billionaires has resulted in a chaotic, billionaire-driven AI agenda, with declining wages and job security for the majority of workers. The union body warns that if workers perceive AI primarily as a means to cut jobs, wages, or bargaining power, this could lead to political consequences and the rise of the far-right.