Guidelines for Morally Sound Artificial Intelligence
In a significant move towards safeguarding workers' interests in the era of artificial intelligence (AI), the UNI Global Union has introduced the Ten Principles for Ethical AI. These principles aim to ensure that AI applications in the workplace are designed and deployed with respect for human dignity, privacy, transparency, fairness, and accountability.
The Connection to Workers' Data Rights
The Ten Principles for Ethical AI share a strong connection with the UNI Global Union's Ten Principles for Workers' Data Rights. Both sets of principles emphasise the importance of privacy protection, transparency, and accountability in AI and data use within labour contexts.
The Workers' Data Rights principles focus on the rights of workers to control, understand, and have agency over the data collected about them. They ensure that data collection and AI systems uphold legal and ethical rights, providing a foundation for the broader concerns addressed in the Ethical AI principles.
Key Points of UNI Global Union's Ethical AI and Workers' Data Rights Principles
- Privacy and Data Control: Both frameworks prioritise protecting workers’ personal data from misuse and granting workers control over how their data is collected, shared, and used by AI systems in workplaces.
- Transparency and Explainability: UNI's principles demand that AI systems impacting workers are transparent and provide understandable explanations for decisions, supporting workers' ability to contest or understand AI-driven outcomes.
- Accountability and Human Oversight: Ensuring that AI does not operate unchecked is critical in both sets of principles. Designers and employers must be accountable for AI impacts on workers, maintaining human oversight to prevent harm.
- Fairness and Non-Discrimination: Both principles call for AI systems to avoid bias and discrimination in decisions affecting workers, promoting inclusion and equal opportunities at work.
- Empowerment and Participation: Workers should be actively involved in decisions around AI deployment and data use, ensuring AI supports their dignity, rights, and autonomy in the workplace.
Additional Context
These principles from UNI Global Union resonate with broad international AI ethics agendas, such as those aligning AI development with human rights, legal duties, safety, and promoting inclusivity and sustainability in an ethical AI framework.
The emphasis on workers’ data rights reflects a vital aspect of contemporary AI ethics, recognising workers as key stakeholders whose data and working conditions must be protected amid increasing AI adoption in industries.
Conclusion
The UNI Global Union's Ten Principles for Ethical AI complement and extend the Ten Principles for Workers' Data Rights by embedding labour rights within the wider ethical AI conversation. These principles ensure AI supports ethical governance and respects workers’ fundamental rights in the digital age. The principles are applicable to various agreements and policies, providing a valuable framework for ensuring a healthy balance of power in workplaces.
[1] UNI Global Union (2021). Ten Principles for Ethical AI. Retrieved from [link] [2] UNI Global Union (2021). Ten Principles for Workers' Data Rights. Retrieved from [link] [3] European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (2020). Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI. Retrieved from [link] [4] Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2019). Recommendation of the Council Concerning the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved from [link]
- The UNI Global Union's Ten Principles for Ethical AI and the Ten Principles for Workers' Data Rights both highlight the significance of privacy protection, transparency, and accountability in AI and data use within labor contexts, aligning with international agendas promoting AI development that respects human rights and ensures inclusivity and sustainability.
- Technology advancements, such as artificial intelligence, are designed and deployed within the workplace according to the UNI Global Union's principles, ensuring they uphold respect for human dignity, privacy, transparency, fairness, accountability, and workers' data rights, safeguarding the fundamental rights of workers in the digital age.
