The federal government is planning a legal regulation for the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace. Employees should be protected from constant surveillance, for example. AI should also be regulated in application processes.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) and Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) want to regulate the monitoring, control or selection of employees through artificial intelligence (AI) more in the future. As the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reported in advance, the ministers want to prevent the complete monitoring of employees with a new employee data protection law.
“AI will play an increasingly important role. This offers immense opportunities, but also the dangers that processes are no longer transparent, that people are discriminated against or personal rights are violated through improper surveillance,” Faeser told the newspaper. Heil added that it was important to him that good working conditions, fair wages and occupational safety also apply in the digital world of work. The ministers intend to present a first draft of the law in the summer.
Protection of employees comes first
A corresponding paper from the ministries is available ARD Capital Studio and outlines how sensitive employee data should also be protected using artificial intelligence. Permanent monitoring by employers should only be permitted in exceptional cases and only if it is for safety reasons. Firefighters are given as an example, where the location of their current location could be continuously tracked during an operation. This is in the interests of their own safety.
There are also ideas for separating work and private life, because employees often work with their own devices such as laptops or smartphones. This practice harbors the risk, for example, that employers could access private data – how this can be prevented is to be examined.
“Necessary and sensible practices” such as recording driving and rest times, for example when driving trucks, should generally remain possible. According to the paper, AI should meet scientific standards in application processes and only be allowed to explicitly check properties that are important for a position.
AI on the rise
The term artificial intelligence refers to computer programs that can learn in a similar way to humans. Instead of being programmed for a specific purpose, AI can find answers and solve problems on its own.
Particularly intelligent image generation software such as “Midjourney” or AI-supported chatbots such as “ChatGPT” have recently caused controversy. Italy had the latter briefly blocked nationwide due to a lack of data protection.