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With Party conference season this has been a busy month, with an unexpectedly international dimension. Professor Sir Christopher Pissarides was invited, in his capacity as IFOW Co-Founder, to share our latest research at the Ambassador’s residence in Brussels, indicating higher levels of engagement and knowledge-sharing with our European allies. (Behind the scenes, the Prime Minister has been fast to lay the ground for the UK’s new relationship with the EU.) Today, we published Chris’ lecture here. We have also been virtual guests this week at the annual MIT Technology Review conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts after contributing to their UK debut.
Back home, Anna and IFOW Co-Chair Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE enjoyed participating in some thoughtful and spirited fringe events in Liverpool - from growth to surveillance - at the first Conference that Labour has had in power for 15 years.
Hidden from sight - and contrary to media attention on teething problems and schoolboy errors - we’re happy to report a quiet confidence and sense of shared purpose, with a healthy balance of listening and reflecting.
A strategic shift to joined-up, mission-driven government is a real challenge – and it’s easy to forget that the UK doesn’t have a post-election transition period, unlike the US. New institutions, rules, tools, ways of working and policymaking are a must. Some things need a staged approach, others need experimentation. And as our recent three days of policy workshops earlier this month - using our Social Policy Innovation Accelerator - have highlighted, many are about building capabilities and setting up things up for the future.
On that note, the IFOW Responsible AI Sandbox has attracted a huge amount of attention. This is your last chance to apply as we head into autumn—a season of transition—making it the perfect time to explore and innovate in the evolving landscape of responsible AI. Applications close on the 8th of October.
Anna and the IFOW team
In a new blog post, IFOW Co-Director, Dr Abby Gilbert, examines a major shift in privacy and data protection and governance: from concerns focused on data about people to a focus on the data that is being collected about work: industrial data
This is classed as ‘non-personal data’ – isn’t data that concerns details such as home address, credit card numbers or impinges on intellectual property, which is a common issue in creative industries). Instead, this is data about people’s work methods, screen activity, or how they go about a manufacturing process.
Industrial data can be collected by Connected Worker or Software-as-a-Service platforms – but then these huge caches are then off-shored to data centres outside of the UK.
This presents several challenges that are likely to be relevant to the data and AI Bills expected later this autumn. It also highlights the way that different types of ‘surveillance’ are entry points to a number of other important decisions about technology, work design and business models. Data on work methods can be used to train automation systems that will then replace workers, and the offshoring of data presents risks to both companies and to national interests. Read the full piece here, and how IFOW’s work in our Responsible AI Sandbox can help firms navigate this complex new data and AI governance landscape.
The PM’s glasses are not the only pair distracting from the most pressing challenges we face. Meta’s prototype glasses, which come with a ‘neural wristband’ and are controlled by eye, voice and hand tracking, resemble a Fitbit with a screen.
The Verge report focuses on technical capabilities and marketing. A new report ‘Big Brother in the Office serves to remind us of challenges and possible repercussions of use in the workplace.
This new paper "What Do Data Rights Do for Workers?" critiques narrow approaches to data rights in the context of the ‘datafication of work’. Based on an analysis of trade union documentation and interviews with 15 trade unions, the report highlights the drive for ‘data rights’ in the context of the labour movement; and the need for enabling conditions and promotive workplace democracy for the rights to be meaningful
This Fast Company article offers a personal perspective on the critical role of trust as AI becomes increasingly integrated into daily operations, highlighting that Trust in the context of work has a significant impact on the health of individuals, organizations, and society. As AI systems take on more responsibilities, organisations must ensure that employees trust these technologies to foster a collaborative environment, as a survey by IFOW highlighted.
Smaller models are proving to be equally capable—with a far smaller carbon footprint.
The "motherhood penalty" doesn't just apply to pay – this Nuffield Foundation-funded report from King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership shows that mothers, particularly those with young children, face multiple disadvantages when it comes to job quality too including affected autonomy, job control, and flexibility.
In Inside the Invisible Cage, Hatim Rahman employs unique longitudinal data to explore how digital labour platforms can leverage algorithms to instruct the actions of high-skilled workers. These algorithms shape accepted behaviours, determine work opportunities, and influence perceptions of success. As Rahman explains, employers can use algorithms to change rules and guidelines without necessarily giving notice, explanation, or recourse.
With The Co-Evolution of Technology, Félix-Fernando Muñoz creates a framework that combines cognitive, technical, and cultural factors with economic activities. He then uses this framework to explore how AI impacts important features and challenges at cognitive, market, and cultural levels, particularly concerning economic decision-making and action planning.
He concludes that while AI will greatly increase the options available to individuals by improving efficiency and revealing new opportunities, it will not fundamentally change human nature.
This Centre of Cities blog discusses the impact of hybrid working on innovation. While hybrid working models offer flexibility, too much remote work can impede collaboration and creativity. The article suggests that the sweet-spot is a balanced blend of both in-person collaboration and the autonomy of remote work.
Urban Futures hosted by Centre for Cities will explore the potential of brownfield sites to support economic growth through housing and commercial use.
Register here.
Hosted by The Resolution Foundation, Living Standards in Later Life will address whether auto-enrolment in pensions is sufficient for ensuring adequate retirement savings.
Register here.
For the October edition of The Alan Turing Lectures, Dr. Abeba Birhane will outline the challenges of building trust in AI, the biases in AI systems, how they influence decision-making, and the societal impact.
Get your tickets here.
Tech UK will be hosting this panel discussion focused on how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are innovating with AI in the criminal justice and public safety services.
Register here.
Hosted as part of UK Black Business Week, this event will feature discussions on the workplace, particularly the challenges faced by Black professionals in the tech industry. Get tickets here.
Our brilliant co-chair, Anne-Marie Imafidon, will be speaking to Libby Jackson OBE from the UK Space Agency on the 18th. They’ll be discussing AI’s role in space exploration. You can even pre-order an AI-crafted cocktail when you get your tickets. Find tickets here.
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If you have any ideas, comments or suggestions for future round-ups, please drop us a line at team@ifow.org.
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Anna Thomas MBE
