The fast food industry under the eye of AI: surveillance, stress and well-being at work
By Blanche Mongeon
New software based on artificial intelligence (AI) is currently being used in fast food, a field where many students work. This software measures employee performance based on customer waiting time, the number of coffees sold, table cleanliness, etc. However, measuring performance in this way increases injustices and accident rates, as explained below.
Recent advances in artificial intelligence have given rise to powerful automation and image recognition systems. While it is encouraging to talk about the positive impacts of these technologies in our society ( Science Parity Strategy : discuss the concrete uses of STEM ), it remains essential to discuss the issues they raise. While there is increasing talk of the ethical development of AI [1], companies are excessively monitoring the activity of their employees with these systems. For example, some restaurant franchises count the number of times an employee suggests additional purchases to customers by analyzing videos from their surveillance cameras with image recognition software.
Researcher Alexandra Mateescu notes that the intensification of surveillance leads to an intensification of work. Reed Shaw , policy advisor at Governing for Impact, argues that this then has physical consequences for workers; the rise in the accident rate among Amazon employees is due to the monitoring of idle time between the delivery of two packages [3]. In Quebec, human resources specialists observe an increase in the use of medication to improve work performance [4]. Hypersurveillance therefore increases stress and negative attitudes among employees. In addition, the performance indicators used assume a homogeneity of employees and open the door to discrimination against the poorest performers. It is quite certain that a pregnant woman or an elderly person will require more time between the delivery of two packages than the average.
Many businesses are turning to productivity monitoring systems because they're readily available. In the midst of a race for profits, why deprive yourself of available tools? AI has revolutionized the industry in recent years; now is the time to question its framework and the limits of its use.
If you are interested in the fields of business and personnel management, take note: the era of jobs related to the ethical supervision of automation and surveillance tools is only just beginning!
References
[1] Guillaud, Hubert. (2024, September 3). Towards unlimited surveillance at work. In algorithms. 🔗
[2] Goyer, M. (2024, February 16). Beyond ethical debates, progress. La Presse. 🔗
[3] Shaw, Reed. (2023, June 2). Electronic Surveillance is Short-Circuiting Employment and Labor Law. Law & Political Economy Project. 🔗
[4] Dubé, Isabelle. (2024, November 28). Pills to perform at work. La Presse. 🔗
Photo by Scott Webb
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