IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/zbw/espost/267782.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Promoting human-centred AI in the workplace. Trade unions and their strategies for regulating the use of AI in Germany

Author

Listed:
  • Krzywdzinski, Martin
  • Gerst, Detlef
  • Butollo, Florian

Abstract

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the world of work. For trade unions, the issue of how to regulate the use of AI is a central but difficult topic because the technology is still at an early stage and experience on its use limited. Focusing on Germany, this article addresses the following questions: (1) what areas of application and use cases for AI are relevant for trade unions and works councils?, (2) what role do trade union positions and demands play in the political discussion on regulating the use of AI?, (3) what strategies are trade unions using to influence the regulation and use of AI in the workplace?, and (4) what experiences are they gaining during this process? Reviewing trade union strategies, this article shows which concepts of human-centred AI the trade unions are trying to promote, how they try to ensure that works councils and trade unionists get appropriate training to understand the new technologies, and how dealing with AI is changing the way works councils work. The article also shows how the characteristics of the German system of industrial relations influence discussions on AI and the processes of implementing it in the workplace.

Suggested Citation

  • Krzywdzinski, Martin & Gerst, Detlef & Butollo, Florian, 2022. "Promoting human-centred AI in the workplace. Trade unions and their strategies for regulating the use of AI in Germany," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, issue OnlineFir, pages 1-1.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:267782
    DOI: 10.1177/10242589221142273
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/267782/1/Full-text-article-Krzywdzinski-et-al-Promoting-human-centred-AI.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/10242589221142273?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sabine Pfeiffer, 2016. "Robots, Industry 4.0 and Humans, or Why Assembly Work Is More than Routine Work," Societies, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-26, May.
    2. Thomas Haipeter, 2020. "Digitalisation, unions and participation: the German case of ‘industry 4.0’," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(3), pages 242-260, May.
    3. Matuschek, Ingo & Kleemann, Frank, 2018. "„Was man nicht kennt, kann man nicht regeln“ Betriebsvereinbarungen als Instrument der arbeitspolitischen Regulierung von Industrie 4.0 und Digitalisierung," WSI-Mitteilungen, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 71(3), pages 227-234.
    4. Marius R Busemeyer & Martin B Carstensen & Patrick Emmenegger, 2022. "Orchestrators of coordination: Towards a new role of the state in coordinated capitalism?," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 28(2), pages 231-250, June.
    5. Martin Krzywdzinski, 2021. "Automation, digitalization, and changes in occupational structures in the automobile industry in Germany, Japan, and the United States: a brief history from the early 1990s until 2018 [Managing fle," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 30(3), pages 499-535.
    6. Ronit Justo-Hanani, 2022. "The politics of Artificial Intelligence regulation and governance reform in the European Union," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 55(1), pages 137-159, March.
    7. Pfeiffer, Sabine, 2016. "Robots, Industry 4.0 and humans, or why assembly work is more than routine work," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 6(2 (Articl), pages 1-26.
    8. Baethge-Kinsky, Volker & Marquardsen, Kai & Tullius, Knut, 2018. "Perspektiven industrieller Instandhaltungsarbeit," WSI-Mitteilungen, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 71(3), pages 174-181.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Martin Krzywdzinski & Detlef Gerst & Florian Butollo, 2023. "Promoting human-centred AI in the workplace. Trade unions and their strategies for regulating the use of AI in Germany," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 29(1), pages 53-70, February.
    2. Krzywdzinski, Martin & Pfeiffer, Sabine & Evers, Maren & Gerber, Christine, 2022. "Measuring work and workers: Wearables and digital assistance systems in manufacturing and logistics," Discussion Papers, Research Group Globalization, Work, and Production SP III 2022-301, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    3. Caroline Lloyd & Jonathan Payne, 2021. "Fewer jobs, better jobs? An international comparative study of robots and ‘routine’ work in the public sector," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(2), pages 109-124, March.
    4. Armanda Cetrulo & Dario Guarascio & Maria Enrica Virgillito, 2020. "Anatomy of the Italian occupational structure: concentrated power and distributed knowledge," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 29(6), pages 1345-1379.
    5. Cirillo, Valeria & Rinaldini, Matteo & Staccioli, Jacopo & Virgillito, Maria Enrica, 2021. "Technology vs. workers: the case of Italy’s Industry 4.0 factories," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 166-183.
    6. Fonseca Luis Miguel, 2018. "Industry 4.0 and the digital society: concepts, dimensions and envisioned benefits," Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence, Sciendo, vol. 12(1), pages 386-397, May.
    7. Honorine Harlé & Pascal Le Masson & Benoit Weil, 2021. "A model of creative heritage for industry: designing new rules while preserving the present system of rules [Un modèle de patrimoine de création pour l'industrie: concevoir de nouvelles règles dans," Post-Print hal-03406761, HAL.
    8. Krings, Bettina-Johanna & Moniz, António & Frey, Philipp, 2021. "Technology as enabler of the automation of work? Current societal challenges for a future perspective of work [A tecnologia como facilitadora da automação do trabalho? Desafios sociais atuais para ," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 9(21), pages 7-30.
    9. Mónica Santana & Mirta Díaz-Fernández, 2023. "Competencies for the artificial intelligence age: visualisation of the state of the art and future perspectives," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(6), pages 1971-2004, August.
    10. Krzywdzinski, Martin, 2017. "Automation, skill requirements and labour-use strategies: high-wage and low-wage approaches to high-tech manufacturing in the automotive industry," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 32(3), pages 247-267.
    11. Krzywdzinski, Martin & Gerber, Christine & Evers, Maren, 2018. "The Social Consequences of the Digital Revolution," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, pages 101-120.
    12. Caselli, Mauro & Fracasso, Andrea & Scicchitano, Sergio & Traverso, Silvio & Tundis, Enrico, 2021. "Stop worrying and love the robot: An activity-based approach to assess the impact of robotization on employment dynamics," GLO Discussion Paper Series 802, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    13. Prodi, Elena & Tassinari, Mattia & Ferrannini, Andrea & Rubini, Lauretta, 2022. "Industry 4.0 policy from a sociotechnical perspective: The case of German competence centres," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    14. Jean-Philippe Deranty & Thomas Corbin, 2022. "Artificial Intelligence and work: a critical review of recent research from the social sciences," Papers 2204.00419, arXiv.org.
    15. Armanda Cetrulo & Giovanni Dosi & Angelo Moro & Linnea Nelli & Maria Enrica Virgillito, 2023. "Automation, digitalization and decarbonization in the European automotive industry: a roadmap towards a just transition," LEM Papers Series 2023/36, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    16. A. Cetrulo & A. Sbardella & M. E. Virgillito, 2023. "Vanishing social classes? Facts and figures of the Italian labour market," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 33(1), pages 97-148, January.
    17. Pier Giacomo Cardinali & Pietro De Giovanni, 2022. "Responsible digitalization through digital technologies and green practices," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 984-995, July.
    18. Krzywdzinski, Martin, 2019. "Digitalisierung und Wandel der globalen Arbeitsteilung. Industriearbeit im Wandel," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, pages 88-109.
    19. Dashi Nazarov & Anton Klarin, 2020. "Taxonomy of Industry 4.0 research: Mapping scholarship and industry insights," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(4), pages 535-556, July.
    20. Valeria Pulignano & Marco Hauptmeier & Dorien Frans, 2023. "Determinants of union strategies towards the twin digital and green transitions in the German and Belgian automotive industry," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 29(1), pages 121-138, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:267782. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/zbwkide.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.