Maite Tapia Quoted in The Detroit News on Artificial Intelligence, Unions, and Worker Voice
Dr. Maite Tapia
Michigan State University School of Human Resources and Labor Relations professor Maite Tapia was recently quoted in The Detroit News in an article examining how artificial intelligence and other technologies are changing workplaces and raising questions about the future of work.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape workplaces, questions about who has a voice in decisions about new technologies have become increasingly important. In a Sept. 7 article, The Detroit News examined the potential effects of AI on workers, including concerns about workplace disruption, job displacement and layoffs.
Tapia, a professor in Michigan State University's School of Human Resources and Labor Relations, provided perspective on the role of workers and unions in determining how new technologies are introduced and implemented in the workplace.
"We think about AI and other technologies as not inherently good or bad," Tapia told The Detroit News. "But of course a technology needs to be designed, produced and implemented in a workplace. There is a power dynamic at play. What is important is that workers have a voice in that conversation. The best way of having a voice is, of course, through a collective bargaining agreement. The technology doesn't come into the workplace top-down, but through democratic negotiations."
Tapia's comments reflect a central theme of her research: the importance of worker voice and collective institutions in shaping the future of work. Her scholarship examines labor relations, worker representation and the ways workers and their organizations respond to changing employment practices and technologies.
Her recent research includes a project examining worker representation at Amazon warehouses in Germany, Italy and the United States. The project explores how different workplace institutions — including works councils, trade unions and labor organizations — respond to changes in employment practices and advocate for workers.
As AI and other emerging technologies become increasingly integrated into workplaces, Tapia's research highlights the importance of considering not only what technologies can do, but also how they are introduced into workplaces, who participates in those decisions and how workers can have a meaningful voice in the process.
About Maite Tapia
Maite Tapia is a professor in Michigan State University's School of Human Resources and Labor Relations. Her research focuses on unions, worker representation, inequality at work, and labor and politics. She studies how workers organize and build power, including at Amazon warehouses in the United States and Europe, and how unions shape members' political attitudes and voting behavior.
Read the full article in The Detroit News
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