UK trade union launches campaign to establish AI ground rules for government
A leading UK civil service trade union has launched a campaign to ensure that the use of artificial intelligence in government is focused on improving the working lives of officials.
The PCS union announced on Friday that it will campaign for legislation “that protects unions, jobs and workers’ rights in the face of artificial intelligence”. It also introduced a ‘model agreement’ for the use of AI in government.
In a statement, the union said that AI is having a big impact on the world of work as well as in wider society, and its national executive committee has now agreed to develop a bargaining approach to embed a model agreement for AI’s use in the civil service.
In particular, the union has called for transparency about how AI systems work and decisions about how they are used to ensure public trust, and called for legislation that ensures transparency and addresses concerns around safeguarding, discrimination and regulation.
“We believe it is important that any efficiencies made by AI are used to improve services rather than simply cutting the cost of existing service levels through mass redundancy,” the union said, highlighting comments by previous deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden that embracing AI will reduce civil service headcount.
AI model agreement
The union has set out what it called a model agreement for AI with which the Cabinet Office could provide guidelines for possible use in government.
The PCS proposal says that new AI systems should only be introduced following consultation and agreement with the union, and that all existing systems should be disclosed. The agreement would also pledge that AI must not lead to job losses, although the union said it recognised that it will have an impact on job roles.
Under the proposal, AI would also not be used in any decision that affects humans, in particular to select staff for recruitment, promotion, transfer to another post or dismissal, or to affect the pay, terms and conditions and status of staff. Productivity gains made through the introduction and use of AI should be shared with workers in the form of reduced hours and increased pay, PCS said.
Read GGF’s latest AI Monitor: Professor Sue Black on AI and education, innovation challenge winner tackles major AI barriers, and more
About Richard Johnstone
Richard Johnstone is the executive editor of Global Government Forum, where he helps to produce editorial analysis and insight for the title’s audience of public servants around the world. Before joining GGF, he spent nearly five years at UK-based title Civil Service World, latterly as acting editor, and has worked in public policy journalism throughout his career.
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