Telecom workers are advocating for government limitations on the utilization of artificial intelligence in their industry, asserting that the technology is being employed to supervise employees and alter the accents of overseas call center staff.
The Canadian Telecommunications Workers Alliance expressed their apprehensions regarding AI on April 30 during a session with the House of Commons’ standing committee on industry and technology in Ottawa. The alliance, which comprises major unions such as Unifor, the United Steelworkers union, and the Canadian Union of Public Employees, represents 32,000 workers in Canada’s telecom sector, including employees of Bell, Rogers, and Telus.
Roch Leblanc, Unifor’s telecommunications sector director, disclosed in his opening statement that at least one company was using AI to mask the accents of offshore agents. This practice, he cautioned, could deceive Canadians into believing they were conversing with local staff when, in reality, the jobs had been outsourced.
Approximately 20,000 jobs in the telecom industry have been eliminated in the past decade due to automation and offshoring, Leblanc reported, expressing concerns that AI could expedite this trend. He highlighted the advanced use of AI in monitoring telecommunications workers, such as tracking technicians’ movements and assessing task durations.
Moreover, AI’s capabilities extend to analyzing call center dialogues word-for-word for call redirection or sales and subscription trend identification. Leblanc urged for governmental restrictions on AI-based monitoring, citing increased psychological stress and workload intensification for employees.
Nathalie Blais, a research advisor with the Canadian Union of Public Employees, emphasized the need for responsible AI deployment that benefits society rather than misleads individuals or displaces jobs. The alliance is advocating for the establishment of a permanent federal working group on AI to foster collaboration among government, industry, and civil society on ethical AI implementation.
In addition to job security and workers’ rights, the alliance is pushing for enhanced safeguards for Canadians’ data security. Minister of Artificial Intelligence, Evan Solomon, stated on Monday that the forthcoming national AI strategy would address labor market implications.
[Source](https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/telecommunications-workers-restrictions-artificial-intelligence-9.7189209)