Australian unions are beginning to agitate for the right of workers to refuse to adopt AI, sparking an important conversation about technology, progress, and the future of work.
This isn't a simple issue, and like all transformative periods, it presents a complex set of challenges and opportunities that demand a nuanced discussion.
On one hand, it's easy to look back with the benefit of hindsight.
Imagine if, 20 or 30 years ago, we had resisted the adoption of personal computers or fax machines in the workplace. Even further back, we might have fought against alarm clocks replacing the "knocker-up" profession. Progress, by its very nature, often involves the displacement of existing methods and, consequently, some jobs.
However, we cannot ignore history's less palatable lessons.
Capitalism and technological advancement have a chequered past when it comes to adequately protecting workers dislocated by progress.
We've seen this repeatedly, from switchboard operators and handloom weavers to typists. To add to that list, we can also consider miners whose roles were impacted by automation, and manufacturing line workers who saw their jobs replaced by robotics. More recently add taxi and truck drivers.
The human cost of these transitions has often been significant, leading to economic pain and societal unrest.
The path forward is far from obvious, and it certainly won't be linear. But it must begin with a frank recognition: we have, as a society, largely failed to adequately address workforce dislocation in the past. This time, with AI, the potential impact is different; it could affect an exponentially larger percentage of the global population, spanning across industries and skill levels at an unprecedented pace.
If we are to navigate this transition successfully and avoid widespread societal upheaval, we need proactive and innovative solutions. These could include:
- Enforceable domestic taxes on the few large global corporations who stand to earn - and are already earning - outsized profits by providing tools aimed at decimating workforces. These profits should contribute to the societal cost of the transition.
- Taxing “AI employees" as though they were income-earning humans, with those funds specifically earmarked to upskill and reintegrate dislocated workers into new roles and industries.
- Providing targeted support for recent graduates and entry-level employees, whose traditional pathways into employment are currently most vulnerable to being replaced or significantly altered by AI tools.
Ultimately, society must learn from and address the many lessons of the past, where unchecked workforce dislocation led to significant societal unrest and economic pain.
This time, we have the opportunity - and the imperative - to plan better, innovate smarter, and ensure that the benefits of AI are shared more equitably, rather than concentrating wealth and opportunity in the hands of a few while leaving many behind.