AI talks @ ETUI
Top experts from academia, civil society and online rights organizations, among others, will share their insights and knowledge about artificial intelligence, building a 360° view of how AI is disrupting and reshaping the world we live in.
Guest speaker:
Min Kyung Lee, UT Austin School of Information
Min Kyung Lee is a human-computer interaction researcher and an assistant professor in the UT Austin School of Information, and the director of the Human-AI Interaction Lab. She is also core faculty of the campus-wide Ethical AI Program, and affiliated with Machine Learning Lab, Good Systems, and Texas Robotics.
Algorithmic management (AM)—data-driven automation and augmentation of managerial functions—is rapidly expanding from digital platforms into sectors such as logistics, healthcare, and knowledge work. While proponents highlight efficiency gains, research documents significant risks to worker well-being and job quality, including work intensification, intrusive surveillance, and unpredictable scheduling. Recent debates in Europe emphasize the need for human oversight, stronger transparency and accountability across the AI value chain, and a clear role for worker representation in shaping workplace AI.
This talk examines how unions and workers can respond through a combination of industrial relations and participatory design. Drawing on evidence from the Swedish logistics sector, Min Kyung Lee will describe how unions are moving into “action mode” through learning, informing, and bargaining strategies, while employers and regulators grapple with implementation realities. She will then explain a recurring governance challenge: abstract rules often fail to translate into enforceable software behavior. To address this, she will present participatory design approaches—such as Data Probes, participatory governance (WeBuildAI-style), and AI capability matchmaking/co-design—that help stakeholders define functional boundaries and worker-centered objectives as actionable requirements. The talk will conclude by framing the regulation of AM as a sociotechnical process that requires engaging unions and regulators early and throughout the development lifecycle.
