New legal protections are urgently needed to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in UK workplaces and prevent workers being hired and fired by algorithm, according to a new report by the Trades Union Congress.
The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the adoption of high tech management tools, with employers increasingly turning to AI to help them recruit remotely, sift candidates for redundancy, determine performance ratings, allocate work and monitor the productivity of home workers.
The TUC argues that employment law has failed to keep pace with the rollout of new technology and wants employers, tech companies and government to take action to plug the gaps.