Telecom workers are advocating for government regulations on artificial intelligence (AI) usage in the industry, expressing concerns that AI is being utilized to surveil employees and alter the accents of overseas call center agents. The Canadian Telecommunications Workers Alliance raised these issues on April 30 during a session with the House of Commons’ standing committee on industry and technology in Ottawa.
Representing 32,000 workers in Canada’s telecom sector, the alliance, which comprises major unions like Unifor, the United Steelworkers union, and the Canadian Union of Public Employees, emphasized the need for transparency when AI is deployed. Roch Leblanc, the Unifor telecommunications sector director, disclosed that a company was employing AI to mask the accents of offshore agents, potentially deceiving customers into believing they were interacting with local staff.
Leblanc highlighted that approximately 20,000 jobs in the telecom industry have been lost in the last decade due to automation and offshoring, with fears that AI adoption could exacerbate this trend. AI applications in telecom include worker monitoring, such as tracking technicians’ movements and task durations. Furthermore, AI can scrutinize call center conversations to redirect calls or detect sales-related patterns.
The alliance urged governments to limit AI-driven monitoring due to its negative impacts on workers’ mental well-being and workloads. Nathalie Blais, a research advisor at the Canadian Union of Public Employees, stressed the importance of using AI ethically for societal benefit without jeopardizing jobs or misleading individuals.
The alliance proposed establishing a permanent federal working group on AI to facilitate collaboration among government, industry, and civil society in regulating AI implementation. Additionally, they called for enhanced safeguards to protect workers’ jobs, rights, and Canadians’ data security. Minister of Artificial Intelligence, Evan Solomon, indicated that the upcoming national AI strategy will address labor market implications.
In conclusion, the alliance’s push for regulatory measures aims to ensure responsible AI usage in the telecom sector, prioritizing workers’ well-being and the integrity of services provided to consumers.