Your Boss is a Machine - Protecting Worker Autonomy in an AI-Driven Economy

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to radically re-shape the economy in the coming decade, by disrupting the labour market, driving economic growth by increasing productivity and creating new business models, and changing how work is organised. Politicians, unions, and workers have called for more regulation of workplace AI, in order to protect worker wellbeing and autonomy.

Worker autonomy, or control over one's work and ability to participate in workplace governance, is individually, organizationally, and socially important. It is linked to job satisfaction, motivation, wellbeing, and productivity. And, it is under threat.

Surveillance technologies and AI are used to monitor, direct, and evaluate workers. And, the economy faces the potential for massive disruptions over the next decade, from deskilling, a rise in zero hours contracts, and the automation of processes and services provided by both low-wage workers and high-wage experts.

By prioritising worker autonomy, the UK can realise the productivity gains from AI while protecting worker wellbeing and equality. But, there are three major gaps in our understanding of worker autonomy and AI. Moral theories of worker autonomy cannot account for threats and new possibilities for worker autonomy in the changing economy.

Relatedly, there is a gap in existing data and metrics to measure the impact of AI on worker autonomy. Finally, workplace regulation and labour law do not address the most pressing harms to worker autonomy from AI.

The "Your Boss is a Machine - Protecting Worker Autonomy in an AI-Driven Economy" project addresses those three gaps. It builds a new theory of worker autonomy that can meet the challenges and opportunities created by AI in the changing economy. This theory is grounded in novel qualitative and quantitative research and in the method of citizen science, which brings affected stakeholders in to define objects of study and methods.

The project also undertakes new qualitative research to unearth AI mechanisms that drive harms to worker autonomy, as well as mechanisms to promote better worker autonomy. It also builds metrics to measure how worker autonomy is impacted by AI, through a survey that embeds a new scale to measure worker autonomy. Finally, the project evaluates policy and regulatory measures to promote worker autonomy, identifies gaps, and proposes promising policy and regulatory responses.

At the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), I am uniquely positioned to undertake this novel, cross-disciplinary project. The project draws on methodologies from philosophy, law, and the social sciences, both qualitative and quantitative. One novel methodology is the use of citizen science to drive both quantitative research and theory building.

Through focus groups, surveys, and interviews with experts, the project will engage in two way knowledge exchange to identify core drivers of autonomy harms from AI and to co-develop and pilot the first survey to measure the impact of AI on worker autonomy in the UK.

The LSE is the ideal research environment for this project. The project team will be able to engage with relevant experts and mentors across philosophy, sociology, law, management, economics, behavioural science, and media and communications, and to undertake further training in qualitative and quantitative methods. Finally, thanks to its location in London and connections with industry, the third sector, and government, the LSE will help the project to drive impact through its plan for knowledge exchange.