Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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I believe the Chairperson has already visited so at least one of my colleagues has been there. I want to ask about the reference that was made to productivity improvements and automation. Although he is not here now, Mr. McCorry also made reference to protecting workers from the potential negative use of AI. What is each company doing or prepared to do to make sure that workers are protected and that technologies improve the world of work as a benefit for both workers and businesses? I ask because, while technology has many benefits and it is absolutely fantastic that you can talk to your colleagues at 11.30 p.m., if you need to, it is also incredibly intrusive. Technology has facilitated a lot of communication but it has also facilitated an always-on 24-7 type of culture, which is clearly bad for our health and which I would argue is also not good for business. In the absence of a legal right to disconnect, what are the companies' views on what can be done to protect people? Some workers will now have their work allocated via AI and algorithms. People will potentially be hired and fired without human involvement. That is concerning to me. I do not believe it is something that can be mitigated but it is nonetheless a concern. Through the adoption of generative AI, we can drive competitiveness and productivity but how can we do that while protecting workers and their rights and ensuring that technology makes the worker's job more enjoyable and productive?