Age of AI: workers worry more about Big Brother surveillance than losing their job to a robot, poll reveals

Fears of surveillance tops the public's list of concerns about the use of new technology like AI and robotics at work, the first report of the RSA’s Future Work Centre warns.

Good Work in an Age of Radical Technologies argues that the threat of new machines lies more in how they will change the nature and substance of work, including recruitment practices, performance monitoring, scheduling and business models.

Dubbed by some as ‘algorithmic management’, the study highlights new software on the market for employers, which can:

• log staff behaviour on office computers, including browsing history and keystrokes. This data is then used to create a productivity baseline and flag anyone performing poorly
• use credit card sized devices that can be worn by workers to monitor their mood and understand team dynamics, such as who is dominant in conversations and who appears most engaged
• AI-powered video technology that analyses candidates during job interviews. Among the data points it captures are intonation, verbal responses and facial expressions.

Half of workers worry about tech leading to excessive monitoring a Populus poll commissioned for the Future Work Centre’s launch finds. 

Meanwhile 44% worry about falling pay packets, 38% worry about having less autonomy, and 36% worry about being discriminated against, suggesting “bread-and-butter” issues are more of a concern than headlines of future mass job losses to robots.

The survey also reveals:

• Brexit is seen as a bigger destroyer of jobs than automation: 33% of workers think our terms of exit from the EU will lead to the most job losses, versus 27% who fear new tech entering the workplace. But wealthier (AB) social groups are more concerned about the potential impact of Brexit (40%) than automation (24%), while those in the DE social groups cite automation as their top fear (34% vs 31%). 
• Tech companies are viewed as the main winners from technology in the workplace – but also the best placed to shield workers from its effects: 42% of workers see tech companies as the biggest winners from the use of technology at work, while 37% say employers, 13% consumers and just 6% say workers. But 64% say tech companies can do the most to protect workers, compared to 42% who say employers and only 22% who say trade unions.  
• Households are ill-prepared for a shock, and don’t think the welfare state can help them. Most workers say they lack a safety net in the event of their job being automated. Only 18% say the government could support them with their living costs. 64% agree they would be in a situation where they would struggle to make ends meet (39% strongly so). 

The report warns that left unchecked, the adoption of technologies like AI and robotics in the workplace could “depress wages, constrain autonomy, exacerbate discrimination, and – at an aggregate level – sharpen geographic divides”. 

But the authors also stress that technology is first and foremost a force for wealth creation. If it is deployed with care, it could lead to a better world of work that is more humane, purposeful and productive. The study cites the example of robotics used in social care to aid workers as they lift and carry patients, and chatbots used by call centre staff to field basic enquiries, leaving workers to concentrate on more complex questions.

The Future Work Centre will focus on developing policies and practices that can share the spoils of technology more fairly with workers. This includes increasing the voice of workers, building on the legislative changes recommended by RSA chief executive's Review of Modern Employment, 52 of 53 of which are being taken forward by the government.

The report will be launched tomorrow at the RSA with speakers including Antonia Bance of the Trade Union Congress, Moya Greene of Royal Mail and Azeem Azhar of technology consultancy Exponential View.

Benedict Dellot, Head of the RSA’s Future Work Centre, said:

“For all the talk of self-driving cars, checkout-less supermarkets and fully automated warehouses, the loss of jobs is a distant prospect for most workers. Unemployment rates are their lowest level in over 40 years, and most workers today are eager to work fewer hours than more. The UK has terrible productivity rates, largely owing to an absence of automation not a surge of it.

“New technologies won’t put humans out to pasture any time soon. But they will change the way that we work – and in more ways than we might imagine. In ten years’ time, most people may be recruited by algorithms, monitored by algorithms and have their schedules set by algorithms. 

“This doesn’t have to be a dystopic future. Technology could be the best friend of workers or their greatest foe. The point is that we need to make deliberate and informed choices in how design, develop and deploy this technology. Nothing can be left to chance.”

Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the RSA, added:

“My employment review for the Prime Minister looked at how government regulations could catch up with live changes in the labour market. This includes the rise of self-employment, zero-hour contracts, agency work and gig work found through online platforms and apps. Our new Future Work Centre builds on these efforts to look at what is coming down the track in 10 to 15 years' time. 

“In both cases, our approach is to cut through the hype and hysteria that so often dominate debates around the future of work. 

“The good news is therefore that we have time to prepare for an age of AI and robotics. But we cannot be complacent. There will be losers as well as winners, and it is our job to steer this technology in a benevolent direction. As well as asking more of government, our poll suggests we should call upon tech companies to share more of their spoils, as well as to design and use technology more responsibly.

“We are deeply grateful to our supporters, our partners the Friends Provident Foundation and a number of philanthropic donations from our fellows to take this important work forward.”

Sean Nesbitt, supporter of The Future Work Centre and employment partner at Taylor Wessing, said: 

"Fears around too much surveillance and sentient robots are nothing new.  Yet, far from being the stuff of science fiction, advancing technology is seriously impacting the way we are working now and will continue to work in the future.

"New technologies should not make the human element a redundant concept, but it does alter the way we work. Education and new training will be needed for skills to evolve in line with technological advances to meet this challenge head on.

"As new technologies continue to develop, so must the regulatory and employment law considerations of the UK, in order to protect us from losing the best possible workforce from both worlds – one cannot exist without the other." 

The RSA is also today inviting entries for its Future Work Awards, which will celebrate innovations from around the world that are helping workers to thrive in a new machine age.  

We are looking for programmes that have a proven track record in improving the wellbeing and economic security of workers using novel methods. The aim is to reward and recognise the unsung social innovators who are bringing about a better world of work outside of government. Examples include collective sick-pay funds for the self-employed, modern lifelong learning programmes for adults, new forms of trade union for gig workers, and innovative HR practices that give workers maximum autonomy.

Nominations are open until mid-September, after which a panel of global judges will review the entries and announce the winners in November.