Artificial intelligence could be a threat to workers, democracy and the enviornment

The recent proliferation of AI was identified as a means of reducing the civil service headcount but, as motions to the conference outlined, the capabilities of current AI platforms often lead to more problems than they solve. Setting aside the issues of large language models frequently hallucinating, the environmental impact of generative AI was highlighted, as well as the insidious nature of the tech and social media platforms pushing these tools.

Speaking on behalf of the Scottish executive committee, Vijay Menzez-Jackson told delegates, “Social media companies in particular are fuelling the growth of the far-right through algorithms that push divisive radicalising and extremist content, and is demographically targeted against disaffected young men.”

Concerns were raised about the outsourcing of government contracts to large multi-nationals, extracting wealth from the Scottish economy, driving down wages and restricting funding available for investment in Scottish communities.

Emmie, from the Scottish Government West and Central Scotland branch, highlighted a recent pilot from IBM which made significant errors, affecting thousands of customers. Speaking to PCS after moving their motion, Emmie said “All technology and tools should be evaluated to make sure they provide a quality service. We think that all workers using them should be given good pay, terms and conditions and that there isn’t any negative impact to the environment or to equalities.”