We have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for Eurasia Group and its affiliates, including GZERO Media, to clarify the types of data we collect, how we collect it, how we use data and with whom we share data. By using our website you consent to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, including the transfer of your personal data to the United States from your country of residence, and our use of cookies described in our Cookie Policy.
FILE PHOTO: People walk by a Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, subsidiaries of Yum! Brands, Inc. in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., February 7, 2022.
Businesses are starting to use artificial intelligence to watch their workers. One AI system, called Riley, is in use at 100 different U.S. stores, including Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s fast-food establishments, according to a new report by Forbes.
Riley is an intelligence surveillance system that effectively surveils employees, evaluates their performance, and suggests feedback and bonuses based on its determinations. One Dairy Queen franchisee said Riley has led to a 3% boost in sales.
There are countless problems with technologies like this. Automated systems might hold workers to harder standards than might a human manager; plus, AI systems are often prone to bias based on the way they were trained. Increasingly, algorithms also govern the process to even get a job—especially lower-wage jobs.
The future of work is eerie: The next time you apply for a job, you might be judged by an unknowable computer program—and if you manage to impress that software, there’s more just like it watching you when you actually get to work.