There is a lot of talk about Artificial Intelligence globally right now. On Friday, December 8, member states and the European Parliament reached a preliminary agreement on the Artificial Intelligence Act, the world's first attempt to regulate rapidly evolving technology in a comprehensive, ethically-based way.
AB’'s move to legalize artificial intelligence technology came at a time of rapid change in the workplace. According to a recent report, the companies surveyed ’i said they plan to adopt AI-powered systems by 2027.
How AI-powered technology is revolutionizing jobs in the Netherlands’
Dutch supermarket Picnic is trying to revolutionize the online grocery industry. Highly automated centers such as the Picnic’s in Utrecht’ are full of artificial intelligence technologies.
The firm says this allows it to offer food fresher, faster and cheaper, giving it a clear advantage in a highly competitive industry.
In addition, Picnic says, the adoption of artificial intelligence has created a large number of skilled new jobs, for example in areas such as data analytics, while also eliminating much of the hard work done by employees in distribution and order fulfillment centers.
Daniel Gebler, chief technical officer at Picnic’, said: "Artificial intelligence is creating an opportunity for many people to have new jobs that are not currently available and that they can do in the future. “This is about creative work, but at the same time technology replaces repetitive work and hard work.”
Picnic says the technology and business model make it more sustainable. The supermarket already offers free delivery on all-electric vehicles. However, data-driven analyses to reduce food and packaging waste are also central to their operations.
A service like “Picnic can work very sustainably, but this takes us one step further in making our service, operations and also suppliers sustainable, not only with good forecasts, added Daniel Gebler, ”.
‘ They follow everything.‘: The rise of artificial intelligence and job insecurity
Artificial intelligence, when used well, can potentially bring great benefits. So what happens when technology invades our every moment?
Joseph Skull is a bicycle courier at the leading on-demand delivery service in Amsterdam’. He says he's tired of being constantly followed by the company during shifts.
Real Economy’ye “They track everything we do while we're at work, ” said. “They can see if we're standing in a place for five minutes and ask questions about why you're taking so long when you have to do the things you need to do while you're at work.”
Dutch unions agree, saying more needs to be done to get delivery companies under control, especially with the use of artificial intelligence algorithms to increase productivity.
Frank Van Bennekom, FNV Young & United Union Official, said “, the workers' union, sees many problems.
“Fees are low. There's no security, and there's no security. For example, in some cases, bonuses are received if the driver does not deliver at a certain time. This leads to really unsafe situations. And I think it should be made illegal by law. - ”
One of the concerns is that artificial intelligence will lead to more precarious work, not less, in the so-called flexible economy, and reduce the quality of work by using artificial intelligence-powered algorithmic management tools.
Joseph Skull, “I want to feel like I can go to the toilet, eat some food, change my clothes when my clothes get wet because of the terrible weather we sometimes experience. And I want to feel like I won't be punished for it, ” said.
How will the EU protect workers' rights when it comes to artificial intelligence?
Experts and policymakers met this year at the EU Social Forum ’ in Brussels, ’, to discuss, among other pressing issues, how to reap the benefits of artificial intelligence while ensuring justice, participation and safety in the workplace.
European Commissioner for Labour and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit euronews’e said: The important thing is that we do not prevent this technological change, but we make sure that we determine the measures we need to protect workers.“
The first important directive we work on is the protection of platform employees as they are directly affected by algorithmic management. On the one hand, we are putting a lot of pressure on the adoption of this directive, which guarantees protection for workers in the context of algorithmic management, but also guarantees protection for social rights, social protection rights, health, etc. ”
In addition to the platform directive, the EU is also completing the Artificial Intelligence Act, which aims to create the world's first rulebook for such technologies.
Those working on better global regulation say good governance of artificial intelligence is urgently needed.
Virginia Dignum, a member of the UN Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board in “, said that what we are seeing now is that artificial intelligence is very similar to a car used by someone without a driver's license, without brakes and without a seat belt.
“If we leave things as they are, I'm afraid these benefits will be for those who already benefit from artificial intelligence, namely big technology and the multimillionaires of this world.
Beate Andrees, Regional Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) ’ (Europe and Central Asia), said: "We think it's important to put people in command. This means incorporating workers into business life, setting regulations, collective bargaining, and discussing the impact of artificial intelligence on the workplace.”
‘Lifelong learning mindset’: EuropeRe-skill and increase skills in ’'s workforce
Another important issue was the training and development of digital skills. In the future, 90 percent of jobs will need them. Currently, more than a third of AB’'s workforce lacks what is needed.
Christopher Pissarides, a Nobel Prize-winning economist at the London School of Economics ’, says workers should try to adapt.
Euronews’e said that they should try to find out what is going on at “Companies. They also need to learn how to train themselves according to the direction of the new technology, how to work with it, and they will feel much more satisfied, ” said.
Nicolas Schmit, “, said that we need to create a true lifelong learning mindset that knows that people need to be retrained, reskilled, their skills need to be increased, not only at the risk of losing their job, but also with the guarantee of finding another job.
Schmitt added that “Tekno is not pessimistic, and came to the following conclusion: Thanks to “ Technology, we can have a better world. We can have a better business organization by taking repetitive or boring jobs away from people. But that means we need to keep control. It's not about predicting the future or fearing the future. Ultimately shaping the future. That's what we have to do. - ”
