Humans must have control of AI, European Trade Union chief cautions
Esther Lynch says it is 'critically important' artificial intelligence 'works for working people'
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Esther Lynch, the general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, is warning that humankind must stay in control of artificial intelligence technology.
The 60-year-old reportedly told Agence France-Presse that no employee should be beholden to the will of a machine and asserted that regulations are necessary to guarantee the "human-in-contol" principle.
"We need to be guaranteed that no worker is subject to the will of a machine," she told the news agency, cautioning about a scenario she said would be "dystopian."
Furthermore, the leaders stressed that it is "critically important" that AI is introduced in a matter that "works for working people rather than against them."
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Secretary General of the European Trade Union Confederation Esther Lynch is pictured during an interview with AFP journalists in Berlin on May 22, 2023. (Photo by TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"It can't be the case that only the top one percent take all of the benefits of AI, and leave everybody else not benefiting from the productivity gains that will come from AI," Lynch said.
"We need to make sure that where parts of jobs or whole jobs or whole industries are displaced, that there are other quality jobs created," she continued.
Lynch said that whenever workers and unions are involved in the introduction of technology, "the outcomes are better."
The European Union is currently debating a draft calling for restrictions on artificial intelligence in Europe.
Ben Goertzel, founder and CEO, SingularityNET, on Auto/Tech & TalkRobot Stage during day three of Web Summit Rio 2023 at Riocentro in Rio de Janeiro. (Photo By Vaughn Ridley/Sportsfile for Web Summit Rio via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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Artificial intelligence is one of the topics Lynch said she would discuss with the EU's Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit during the four-day congress that starts Tuesday in Germany.
While tech leaders in the field have highlighted AI advancements to make strides in organization, health care, music, science and other fields, others have warned and worried about its impact on jobs and the people who need them.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk meets with French Minister for the Economy and Finances Bruno Le Maire on the sidelines of the 6th edition of the "Choose France" Summit at the Chateau de Versailles, outside Paris on May 15, 2023. (LUDOVIC MARIN/Pool via REUTERS / Reuters Photos)
AI guru Ben Goertzel said earlier this month that AI could replace up to 80% of human jobs.
"The problem I see is in the interim period, when AIs are obsoleting one human job after another ... I don't know how [to] solve all the social issues," he said.
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Billionaire SpaceX founder Elon Musk told CNBC last week that thinking about finding fulfillment in an AI-dominated world could be dispiriting.
"To some extent, I have to have deliberate suspension of disbelief in order to remain motivated," he conceded. "So, I guess I would say just, you know, work on things that you find interesting and fulfilling, and that contribute some good to the rest of society."