Prospect pledges AI campaign including charter for companies

At its biennial conference in Birmingham, leading tech union Prospect has pledged to campaign strongly on the use of AI in the workplace.

 

Motions brought forward by Prospect’s National Executive Committee as well as by BT and Tech Worker branches have set the union on a course to do all it can to make sure the implementation of AI is done in a fair way, with workers supported through change, and every step taken to mitigate against risks.

Central to Prospect’s plan is the involvement of workers in any decisions which affect them. In addition, it will campaign for the government to introduce policy to deliver a ‘Just Digital Transition’ so that when jobs are lost because of tech, new ones are created.

Prospect has also pledged to introduce a groundbreaking charter which it would push employers to sign up to assuring workers that they will use new tech considerately. Conference suggested the charter should include:

• Job Security
• Ethical practices
• Training & upskilling
• Implementation
• Responsible transition
• Data Privacy
• Accountability

Mike Clancy, Prospect General Secretary, said:

“The sheer rate of change of technology, AI in particular, has caught government and business on the hop. As ever, legislation, regulation and good management practice are lagging well behind implementation.

“AI can be a force for good, but it could also destroy economies if not managed properly. That’s why we have pledged to remain at the forefront of the campaign to involve workers in decisions which affect them. Only through collaboration will we all gain the benefits of technological transformation.

“We will also be developing an AI charter so that good employers can set the benchmark of how businesses ought to behave.”