AI labour force : Stakeholders set stage for safeguarding workers’ rights in intelligence era

While predictions show that a number of jobs, especially repetitive tasks will be taken by machines, there are areas where productivity and competitiveness will be enhanced by AI.

AI is poised to reshape the future of work through enhance productivity, leading to new job opportunities, and also job displacement as machines and algorithms take over tasks that were previously performed by humans.

The Gender Snapshot 2024 report by UN Women highlighted how AI will impact the female labour force, where women are more likely to lose jobs as a result of AI advancements. 

The survey indicates that 3.7% of women hold jobs that could be replaced by AI technology, compared to 1.4% of men who are at risk of losing their jobs. 

Through the intelligence era, the skills of data labellers, data analysts and scientists, software and computer engineers, researchers, cybersecurity experts, and ethics officers are growing in demand.

A report by the Policy Network on Artificial Intelligence (PNAI), unveiled during the United Nations 19th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) highlighted the importance of workers-led AI governance, that promotes their rights as well as innovation and productivity.

The multistakeholder group addressed the capability of AI systems to integrate traditionally excluded populations into the workforce and empower Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) processes towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With more integration of AI, humans have raised concerns about job loss and mental health effects due to job insecurity and stress from reskilling.

PNAI recommends the establishment of frameworks that enable workers to engage in AI decision-making processes, safeguarding the workers’ rights and promoting the development of global standards for monitoring AI’s impact on the labour market.

Workers in countries Global South countries are increasingly engaged in data work such as data labelling, cleaning, moderation, and tending to the ever-increasing demand for training data for AI systems.

As these demands rise, concerns have been raised about the lack of regulations to

Audance Niyonkuru, the Chief Executive Officer of Digital Umuganda explains that the AI labour force today goes beyond technological experts as it includes miners, who work in cobalt mines where materials to power Large Language Models (LLMs) are outsourced.

“There needs to be traceability of what got into the production of AI systems and the deployment. To have key guidelines and metrics across the value chain on how to measure the impact on technical and non-technical labour,” says Niyonkuru.

A recent documentary by ’60 Minutes’ revealed how AI development has taken a toll on workers in the Global South. Data labellers in Kenya decried being underpaid and having to sift through horrific content online to train AI models.

Such revelations sparked the necessity for establishing guardrails in the AI ecosystem to protect workers.

Kenyan nominated Senator Catherine Mumma warned against actions by technology companies, that are taking advantage of the lack of stringent guidelines to guide digital labour in Kenya.

“Respecting human rights includes not taking advantage of the fact that the employment regime in Kenya is not strict and the fact that Kenya has many unemployed people. We need to have clear conversations and employment laws that have requirements to ensure ethical standards are infused in employment contracts,” says Mumma.

The senator called for an intergovernmental conversation to establish laws that uphold respect for human rights on the Internet.

On his part, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei called for discussions on fair remuneration for tech workers according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) charter.

“We need the ILO charter to be amended to reflect the new working environment – the digital or remote working environment. If someone in Kenya works for a firm in the USA, should they be paid in dollars or shillings?” Cherargei posed.

The Nandi County legislator also called for tech companies to consider taxation laws when establishing monetisation policies for different countries.

“Governments across the world are now itching to tax online work. How do we ensure we don’t overtax them as they are paid less? Taxation policies must adapt to changing dynamics,” Cherargei added.