A NEW artificial intelligence taskforce has been launched amid union calls for urgent legislation to safeguard workers' rights.
The TUC said its taskforce will bring together specialists in law, technology, politics, HR and the voluntary sector with the aim of drafting new legal protections to ensure AI is regulated fairly at work for the benefit of employees and employers.
AI is already making "high-risk, life changing" decisions about workers' lives, such as line-managing, hiring and firing staff, said the union organisation.
It is even being used to analyse facial expressions, tone of voice and accents to assess candidates' suitability for jobs, it was warned.
The TUC said the UK risks becoming an "international outlier" on the regulation of AI.
The EU and other countries have already drafted legislation to properly regulate AI at work, said the TUC.
Assistant general secretary Kate Bell said: "AI is already making life-changing decisions about the way millions work - including how people are hired, performance-managed and fired.
"But UK employment law is way behind the curve, leaving many workers vulnerable to exploitation and discrimination.
"We urgently need new employment legislation, so workers and employers know where they stand.
"Without proper regulation of AI, our labour market risks turning into a wild west. We all have a shared interest in getting this right."
A Government spokesperson said: "We have already launched a taskforce which will bring together government and industry experts to develop the safe and reliable use of AI across the economy and ensure the UK is globally competitive.
"AI is set to fuel growth and create new highly paid jobs throughout the country while allowing us to carry out our existing jobs more efficiently and safely.
"Our pro-innovation, context-based approach to AI regulation will boost investor confidence, and help create these new jobs, while allowing any issues related to AI to be scrutinised in the specific context they arise by our world-leading regulators."
