Artificial Intelligence: The ultimate threat to workers’ rights?

In this episode, host Maryam Tanwir and panelist Archit Sharma discuss the impact of technology on employment with our guests, Martin Kwan and Dee Masters. This area is a complicated web of issues, but our guests have the expertise to help us better understand the stakes. Dee is a leading employment barrister at Cloister’s Chambers with extensive experience in the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and employment. She advises many companies on how to ensure their AI systems are compatible with law and the rights of workers. Martin is a legal researcher and journalist, and the 2021 UN RAF Fellow. Hehas written many articles on topical human rights issues, including recently a fascinating article on Automation and the International Human Right to Work, which will be the first workers’ rights issue we look at in this episode.

Artificial Intelligence brings many promises, but to many it is a threat as well. As AI can increasingly perform tasks at a low cost, what happens to those whose jobs are displaced by robots? And if we are using AI in the workplace to monitor our employees, and to make recruitment decisions for us, how can we ensure workers’ rights are respected? Is there sufficient oversight and accountability when AI makes decisions? Fundamentally, where do human rights and the rights of workers fit in the equation with AI and employment?