'AI May Be The New Industrial Revolution – But We Must Still Put Workers First'

The prime minister Keir Starmer has promised to grasp the new opportunity of AI with both hands.He published an AI Opportunities Action Plan to “make Britain the world leader in AI” and vowed that we will see “AI innovation making a difference for working people.”Then earlier this month in parliament, MPs heard from trade unionists from a wide range of sectors speak about new technologies being rolled out in the workplace, the opportunities and the risks. Now is the time act, to put measures in place while we still can, so working people – and our whole society – can benefit.The music industry, for example, finds itself on the sharp end of new generative AI technology, with big tech companies using original music to train AI models, taking musicians’ work without asking permission – let alone paying for it.Most musicians aren’t on the big bucks, with more than half only earning about £14,000 a year. But due to AI, 55% of creative workers report financial compensation for their work is being diminished, and 24% of music creators are at risk of making a loss by 2028 due to AI-generated music.The Musicians’ Union has been leading the campaign to tip the balance back towards the musicians, pushing for new regulation that would make sure musicians are paid for their work, and that they get a fair share of revenues from AI that uses it.In our public services too, AI is drastically changing the way our public services are delivered. UNISON reported that nearly half of public sector professionals were aware of generative AI use, with two-thirds of government bodies are planning to implement more AI.By including workers in how AI is designed and deployed, we can raise standards across our public services and ensure better outcomes for patients, service users, and communities. After all, those on the front line understand how services truly operate and where technology can help most. Their insight should be at the heart of an AI revolution – one that delivers for the public, not just for profit.The use of AI in our NHS and local authorities does raise some serious questions. How will sensitive data be kept safe when its shared with AI systems? What happens when AI makes a wrong decision? Can staff still override it? While making it quicker for people to access the services they need is positive, these concerns need to be addressed so we can have faith it works.Britain's Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, delivers a speech at the London tech Week in London, England, Monday, June 9, 2025.But it’s not just AI. Surveillance technologies monitoring workers are becoming more widespread – making them feel dehumanised, like their bosses are spying on them.The CWU represented call centre workers whose calls were being monitored with an AI system, scoring staff on their “tone of voice” and “courtesy”. When the CWU tried to find out what algorithms were being used and how decisions were being made, they found that the sub-contracted company who installed the system could not reveal where the training data came from, to prove it wasn’t programmatically biased from the start. This intense monitoring is being used to make management decisions without any explanation, with management buying off the shelf solutions that they don’t have full knowledge of.There are areas where AI can be positive, such as using machine learning to examine overhead line equipment on the railways – that makes inspecting this safer and more reliable, meaning less disruption on the railway.However, therein lies the rub. AI surveillance of physical equipment is one thing but using it as a way of intensely monitoring workers is not where we want to be. ASLEF has campaigned on the use of AI to interrogate on-train data recorders as a means of surveillance without human context or human decisions. This technology must not be introduced without human safeguards for workers.If AI algorithms are going to shape every part of our lives, then we need to ensure workers’ rights are fit to ensure their voices are at the heart of every decision made when it is deployed in the workplace, with unions must play a central role. Delivering on the Make Work Pay promise to legislate so workers are consulted on the use of surveillance technology in their workplace is an urgent first step. The TUC’s Artificial Intelligence (Employment and Regulation) Bill offers a starting point for real discussion about how Labour ensures workers have a say on the way that its used at work.Involving workers is not only the way to protect jobs and well-being, it’s also how we use that tech to improves outcomes. The more say workers have in how it’s used, the more rewarding and productive the world of work will become. The new industrial revolution is here – let’s rise to the challenge and ensure that working people and the public are the ones who benefit.Chris Bloore is the MP for Redditch and a member of the Trade Union Group of Labour MPs.Related...This Type Of Intelligence May Predict How Long You'll LiveLiz Truss Savages Rishi Sunak For Inviting China To Artificial Intelligence SummitHumanity Could 'Lose Control' Of Artificial Intelligence, Warns Rishi Sunak

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