“AI: Have Workers Finally Gained a Voice at the Decision-Making Table – or Is It Too Little Too Late?

In a year where Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been adopted across many industries, many people are asking who should be dictating the rules when it comes to AI. For a long time, AI has been seen as the domain of the tech giants such as Google, Microsoft, and IBM; however, the issue of AI governance has become more pressing in recent years, and workers are increasingly pushing to be included in the conversation. A key development in 2020 was the launch of the Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society (PAIBS). PAIBS is an initiative created by some of the leading AI organizations and companies, such as Microsoft, IBM, Google, and Amazon, with a mission to develop best practices that promote beneficial AI development. The initiative also focuses on creating broad acceptance of AI and adoption of the best practices outlined in the partnership. In addition to this, a number of companies have joined forces over the past year to launch the AI Workers Alliance. The purpose of the Alliance is to create a strong voice for the workers in the AI space by allowing them to work together to ensure that their interests are represented in matters related to AI. The alliance believes that it is important to ensure that workers have a seat at the table when it comes to the development and implementation of AI. They believe that workers should have a say in the development and implementation of AI, as their knowledge and experiences can help to ensure that AI is designed in a way that is beneficial for society and for them. The AI Workers Alliance has been a powerful force for representation in the AI world, and has had several successes this year. In June, the alliance secured the support of the European Union for an ‘AI Workers’ Bill of Rights’. Similarly, in December they launched ‘AI Ready’, an online platform for workers to get advice and training about AI technology and employment. 2020 has been a landmark year for worker representation in AI because of the efforts of the AI Workers Alliance and other initiatives, and it is likely that 2021 will see more companies including staff in the conversation about how AI is implemented in their company. As AI technology advances, it is essential that the rights of the workers are taken into consideration and that they have a seat at the table when it comes to decisions about the use of AI in their workplace. There is, however, more work to be done to ensure worker representation in AI governance, but there have been positive steps towards this this year, and this momentum should continue into 2021 to ensure that workers’ voices are heard.