Telecom workers are urging government limitations on artificial intelligence use in their industry, expressing concerns that AI is being utilized to oversee employees and alter the accents of call center agents from abroad. The Canadian Telecommunications Workers Alliance presented its worries about AI during a session with the House of Commons’ standing committee on industry and technology in Ottawa. This alliance, including major unions such as Unifor, the United Steelworkers union, and the Canadian Union of Public Employees, represents 32,000 workers in Canada’s telecom sector, including employees from Bell, Rogers, and Telus.
During the presentation, Roch Leblanc, director of the Unifor telecommunications sector, revealed that at least one company was employing AI to conceal the accents of offshore agents. This practice could potentially mislead customers into thinking they are interacting with Canadian-based staff while being unaware that the jobs had been outsourced. Leblanc emphasized the importance of transparency with customers when AI technologies are in use.
Highlighting the impact of automation and offshoring, Leblanc noted that approximately 20,000 jobs in the telecom sector had been lost over the past decade due to these practices. The alliance fears that AI implementation may further accelerate this trend, especially as AI is already extensively utilized in telecommunications to monitor employees by tracking their movements and productivity.
Furthermore, Leblanc raised concerns that AI could scrutinize call center conversations word-for-word to redirect calls or identify sales-related patterns. He urged governments to regulate AI-based monitoring, citing increased psychological stress and work pressure on employees.
Nathalie Blais, a research advisor with the Canadian Union of Public Employees, emphasized the need for responsible AI use for the collective benefit, avoiding deceptive practices or job displacement. The alliance proposed the establishment of a permanent federal working group on AI to foster collaboration among government, industry, and civil society on the ethical implementation of AI technologies.
In addition to advocating for job security and workers’ rights, the alliance called for enhanced safeguards for Canadians’ data privacy. Minister of Artificial Intelligence Evan Solomon indicated that the government’s upcoming national AI strategy will take into account the impacts on the labor market.
