Are you tired of feeling powerless in the face of workplace injustices? Have you ever wondered how technology could help amplify your voice and bring about real change in the workplace? While some may fear ChatGPT as a threat to job security, we see it as a powerful tool for workers, especially for helping them to bring change in the workplace.
What Exactly is ChatGTP?
ChatGPT is a new artificial intelligence tool that can understand and automatically generate human-like text. It has been trained on a massive corpus of text data from the internet, allowing ChatGTP to generate coherent and contextually appropriate responses to a wide range of questions and prompts. For example, someone might have the following prompt for ChatGTP:
Person A: "Tell me about the history of the American Civil War.
ChatGTP: “The American Civil War was fought from 1861-1865 between the Union and Confederacy, mainly over slavery and states' rights. It resulted in the abolition of slavery and reunification of the country, and remains a significant topic in American history."
Given ChatGPT's ability to generate text with high accuracy and efficiency, concerns have arisen over its potential to replace jobs, especially those involving content generation and data entry. However, instead of fearing ChatGPT, we believe it's better to explore ways to harness its capabilities to empower workers and their collective action.
Challenges in Worker Collective Action
In order to devise how ChatGTP might be used for worker collective action, it is crucial to first understand the challenges that exist in collective action. On one hand, worker collective action is an essential tool for promoting fair treatment and rights in the workplace. By banding together, workers can make their voices heard and bring about real change. The rise of platforms for worker collective action, such as Coworker.org, has made it easier than ever for workers to share petitions, build support, and mobilize volunteers. However, participating in such actions can be challenging for workers due to the time and resources required. Traditional recruitment methods, such as door-to-door campaigns, can be inefficient, and social media or other digital platforms can still be time-consuming for activists to use. That's where ChatGPT comes in.
ChatGPT for Worker Activism
Trained on an extensive corpus of text data, ChatGPT is equipped to understand the patterns and relationships between words and phrases in its training. As a result, it can produce text that is clear and relevant, and mimics human writing style and tone. We believe this can make ChatGPT a valuable tool for workers who want to create impactful messages to promote their movements. With ChatGPT, workers could save time and effort in having to craft messages to recruit people for their movement. For example, a worker might use ChatGTP for the following:
Worker: “Generate a tweet inviting workers in West Virginia to come to the protest tomorrow in Morgantown to demand higher wages for the workers in the solar power industry.”
ChatGTP: "Attention West Virginia workers in the solar power industry! Join us tomorrow in Morgantown for a protest to demand fair wages. Let's stand together and fight for what we deserve. #FairWages #SolarPowerWorkers #WestVirginiaProtest"
ChatGTP could also help workers to find relevant information and resources, such as regulations protecting their rights, as well as help them to connect with relevant organizations and advocacy groups. For example, a worker might have the following conversation with ChatGTP:
Worker: “My boss is making me work overtime and not paying me. Are there any laws that protect me? I live in California and work as a kitchen cook.”
ChatGTP: “Yes, there are. In California, non-exempt employees are entitled to time-and-a-half pay for all hours worked beyond 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week. Kitchen cooks are likely considered non-exempt. If an employer fails to pay overtime, a complaint can be filed with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE). To file a complaint, you can visit the DLSE's website and find the instructions and forms needed to start the complaint process. It's also a good idea to keep records of the overtime hours you have worked and any related documentation, such as pay stubs, to support your claim.
As technology continues to advance, it is important for workers to take advantage of new tools to make their voices heard and promote change. We believe ChatGPT can play a role in helping workers in this endeavor, making collective action more accessible and effective. As researchers, we eagerly anticipate the opportunity to delve into the possibilities of harnessing cutting-edge AI technologies in our designs, with the goal of shaping the future and driving meaningful change for workers.
**This post was partially edited with the help of ChatGTP :) All ChatGTP messages were left unedited.
