Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 24 May 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Employee Experiences of Technological Surveillance in the Financial Services Sector: Discussion

Mr. John O'Connell:

That is why our request to the committee in the first instance is to consider working on a report. We need to know the extent of the issues, looking across a broader scope than recruitment and taking into account performance and so forth. We need to have an understanding of the extent of what is currently in play and the potential for where it might go, including the extent of the algorithms, the impact and so on. We are saying we do not have all the answers. We are giving the workers' perspective. There is a need for an extensive study over a number of years to look at the potential of AI, both good and bad, into the future. We are asking the committee to peel the issue back a bit, look at the extent of it and have employers in to talk about it, including how they currently self-regulate and what level of transparency there is at the moment. That type of investigation could start to guide our direction of travel in regard to legislation.