'Worrying direction' | Rise of AI tech could be 'race to the bottom for workers' rights'

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has warned that the government is failing to protect workers from being “exploited” by new AI technologies.

The warning came as politicians, tech leaders, regulators and unions met for the TUC AI conference in London on Tuesday, April 18.

The TUC said AI is “transforming” the way people work and the way in which they are managed, with AI-powered technologies now making “high-risk, life changing” decisions about workers’ lives, include line-managing, hiring and firing staff.

An employment lawyer also warned that, without proper safeguards, the rapid growth of AI in the workplace could spark “a race to the bottom for workers’ rights”.