Posts tagged Hollywood actors’ strike
Could AI be used to replace striking workers?
November 19, 2024 // Some of the striking workers handle software and data analysis. It wasn’t clear if, without them, the paper’s website would be able to handle what was an expected influx of election-related traffic. Aravind Srinivas, CEO of AI company Perplexity, responded on X to Sulzberger’s statements, saying that his company was “on standby to help ensure your essential coverage is available to all through the election.” The tech workers’ strike ended after a week (though without a contract resolution), and there were no reported website outages. But the offer from Srinivas struck many as a way to undercut the union’s power and compromise workers’ ability to fight for better labor conditions. Replies to his comment called him a “scab” (a term for someone who crosses a picket line and replaces striking workers).
1 big thing: The big labor fight over automation is here
October 9, 2024 // Between the lines: The union also made sure that as the job of a dockworker changed, it was still a union job. That's an issue that striking autoworkers handled last year: Their tentative agreement included a provision that would ensure that workers who make electric vehicles see the same union protections as those making cars powered by combustion engines. Reality check: Not all unions are bargaining this hard. The deal struck by UPS and its workers last year didn't "adequately address automation,"