TRADE UNION DESK: Who is the AI transformation serving?
Governments, AI companies, and policy analysts seem at odds about what exactly the scale and nature of AI’s impact on the world will be. Amid all of this, a fundamental question remains about the approach to AI: who is this transformation actually serving? Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) General Secretary Owen Reidy writes.
One of the challenges with AI is that its potential uses are so unknowably vast that accurately predicting its impact seems a fool’s errand. AI’s pace of change is such that even writing a column about it seems fraught with risk. Going by recent warnings, it seems as if there is a non-zero chance that it will have extinguished humanity in the time between writing this and it going to print.
In the meantime, while we stubbornly continue on as a species, it is incumbent on policymakers at all levels to examine the impact of AI, particularly in the areas where it will be most acute. The effects of AI are already being felt in the workplace, with employers and employees incorporating AI into their own work practices; sometimes tentatively, sometimes enthusiastically.
Broadly speaking, it is difficult to predict what the impact on the labour market will be. Given their need for cash, it is in the interests of AI firms and associated companies to push a narrative that has AI as a large-scale disruptor, capable of revolutionising not just the workplace, but our entire society. It does seem that Ireland, with a small, open economy focused heavily on the ICT sector, will be particularly exposed to whatever impacts emerge from AI.
Amid the uncertainty and doom-mongering, it is important to remember one fact: it is in control of humans how AI is utilised and how far it goes. Journalist Sarah O’Connor, whose excellent recent book We Are Not Machines examines the impact of technology in the workplace.
O’Connor demonstrates how AI is often spoken about in terms similar to a natural disaster – “a tsunami of change” – as something unstoppable, when in reality it is up to humans how fast and how far AI goes.
Within workplaces, the use of AI is a strong case study in the importance of collective bargaining agreements. Given the variations in different workplaces as how AI could be utilised, a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to workplaces will inevitably create gaps.
Evidence from Europe and the US has demonstrated that a collaborative approach between employers and employees can benefit all sides. Given Ireland’s unique exposure to AI, it is particularly concerning that Ireland is an outlier in Europe in not providing a legal right collective bargaining.
O’Connor’s book outlines how miners in Sweden, through collective bargaining, have agreed implementation of technology in a way that benefits all concerned. Equally, in the United States, the AFL-CIO have agreements in place with Microsoft on the rollout of AI in the workplace, while here in Ireland, the Financial Services Union has reached a similar agreement with the Bank of Ireland. Codetermination and codesign can ensure buy-in from all those affected.
In the wider context, it cannot be left to AI firms to self-regulate, and for governments to clean up any mess left behind. The Taoiseach has said he wants a labour employer economic forum (LEEF) on AI, which would bring together government, employer groups, and trade unions.
If that group is to mean anything, it has to be more than an exchange of views. It has to be a tripartite agreement between the State, unions, and employers on how we manage AI as it evolves. The trade union movement will be putting it to the Government that this can be done with all parties in agreement.
As part of its EU Council Presidency, the Government is hosting an International AI Summit. This is something to be welcomed. The EU has already introduced legislation on AI and should be well placed to respond as AI evolves. The AI Summit would give the chance to flesh out its risks and opportunities right across society, in Ireland, Europe, and beyond.
It is concerning, then, that the speakers list is stacked with luminaries from the leading AI firms like OpenAI and Google DeepMind, as well as the wider technology sector and firms like Ryanair. What the conference lacks is a balanced representative voice for workers. Workers who, in many cases, will be left to deal with the consequences of the decisions made by those on the panel.
If AI is not done right locally, nationally, and internationally, it will be fuel for discontent, whether that be as a result of inequality or impacts on the labour market. It is particularly concerning that, even with the doomsday warnings from those working in the sector, the Government does not seem to think of it in that way. Government sees it through a narrow lens of how to support business.
Managing the rise of AI is not an inevitable force of nature to be endured, but a deliberate political choice. A truly forward-thinking policy would ensure that the workers affected by AI have a direct voice in shaping its future through real collective bargaining and structured, tripartite agreements. Government needs to realise this before it is too late.
Owen Reidy has been General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) since October 2022.
