Artificial Intelligence, Workers' Rights and Democratic Control of Technological Change

Conference rejects the claim that technological change has a single predetermined outcome.

There is no economic law that says productivity gains must result in lower wages, worsening conditions or redundancy. Whether the benefits of artificial intelligence take the form of higher profits for shareholders or improved living standards for workers is ultimately a question of power, ownership and collective organisation.

SIPTU believes that workers must have a meaningful role in shaping how new technologies are introduced, governed and used. Technologies that increasingly influence how people work, communicate and access services should be subject to democratic oversight, transparency and accountability rather than being controlled solely according to the priorities of private corporations, shareholders and financial markets.

Conference therefore reaffirms that technological progress should be governed in the public interest, shaped through collective bargaining and democratic participation, and that the wealth created through technological innovation should be shared fairly by those whose labour creates it.

Conference Notes:

1. The growing deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation and algorithmic management is increasingly accompanied by claims that job losses, wage restraint and the displacement of workers are inevitable consequences of technological progress.
2. History demonstrates that technological change does not determine social outcomes. The benefits of increased productivity have been secured through collective struggle, trade union organisation and collective bargaining, while the costs have too often been borne by working people.
3. New technologies can be used to eliminate repetitive and dangerous work, improve productivity and create opportunities for more meaningful and fulfilling employment. Equally, they can be used to intensify labour, increase surveillance, weaken collective bargaining and transfer a greater share of wealth from labour to capital.
4. Much of the current AI boom is driven by claims that artificial intelligence will dramatically reduce labour costs and generate unprecedented future profits despite continuing uncertainty regarding its capabilities, reliability and long-term profitability. Conference notes that many of these claims are directed as much towards investors and financial markets as towards workers and consumers.
5. The rapid expansion of AI is also driving investment in energy-intensive data centres, creating significant environmental challenges in relation to energy use, emissions and water consumption.

Conference Believes:

1. There is nothing inevitable about AI being used to lower wages, worsen working conditions or eliminate jobs.
2. The deployment of AI is a social and political choice, not a technological inevitability.
3. The central question is not whether AI exists, but who owns it, who controls it, who benefits from it and who bears its costs.
4. Productivity gains arising from technological innovation should be shared fairly between labour and capital through higher pay, improved conditions, reduced working time and expanded opportunities for training and development.
5. Workers should not bear the cost of any future collapse in speculative AI investment through redundancies, attacks on terms and conditions, cuts to public services or austerity measures.

Conference Resolves:

1. To oppose the use of AI for wage suppression, deskilling, excessive workplace surveillance, union avoidance or compulsory workforce reductions.
2. To campaign for collective bargaining rights over the introduction, deployment and governance of AI and workplace technologies, including a statutory duty on employers to consult recognised trade unions before introducing significant AI or automated systems.
3. To seek agreements ensuring that productivity gains arising from AI are shared fairly with workers through improved pay, reduced working time, enhanced terms and conditions, retraining and career development opportunities.
4. We call upon NIC-ICTU to establish a cross-union working group of affiliated unions, workplace representatives and relevant experts to develop a model Technology & Artificial Intelligence Agreement for negotiation with employers across both the public and private sectors.
5. To advocate that Technology Agreements include provisions relating to:
   1. Trade union consultation prior to the introduction of significant new technologies;
   2. Collective bargaining over technological change;
   3. Job security and protection against compulsory redundancy arising solely from AI deployment;
   4. Retraining, upskilling and lifelong learning;
   5. Transparency in workplace data collection and algorithmic decision-making;
   6. Human oversight and review of decisions affecting workers;
   7. Protection against excessive workplace surveillance and monitoring;
   8. Environmental standards relating to digital infrastructure; and
   9. The fair sharing of productivity gains through improved pay, reduced working time and enhanced conditions.
6. To support environmental standards for AI infrastructure, including renewable energy use, energy-efficiency requirements, transparent reporting of energy and water consumption, and the recovery and reuse of waste heat where feasible.
7. To work with sister unions across Ireland and Britain to ensure that technological change serves workers, communities and society as a whole rather than the interests of a small number of investors and technology corporations.