Telecom workers are urging the government to impose limits on the utilization of artificial intelligence in the industry, claiming that AI is being employed to supervise workers and alter the accents of offshore call center employees. The Canadian Telecommunications Workers Alliance expressed its AI apprehensions on April 30 during a session with the House of Commons’ standing committee on industry and technology in Ottawa. The alliance, which comprises major unions such as Unifor, the United Steelworkers union, and the Canadian Union of Public Employees, represents 32,000 workers in Canada’s telecom sector, including employees at Bell, Rogers, and Telus.
During his opening statement, Roch Leblanc, Unifor’s telecommunications sector director, disclosed that at least one company was using AI to mask offshore agents’ accents. This practice could potentially deceive Canadians into assuming they are interacting with local employees, unaware that the jobs have been outsourced. Leblanc emphasized the importance of informing customers when AI is utilized.
Leblanc highlighted that approximately 20,000 jobs have been lost in the telecom sector over the past decade due to automation and offshoring. The alliance is concerned that AI adoption could expedite this trend. AI is extensively applied in telecom for worker monitoring, including tracking technicians’ activities and measuring task durations. Additionally, AI can scrutinize call center dialogues to redirect calls or detect sales-related patterns.
The alliance advocated for government restrictions on AI-based surveillance, citing increased psychological strain and workloads. Nathalie Blais, a research advisor with the Canadian Union of Public Employees, described the technology as potentially intrusive and emphasized the need for its ethical use to benefit society rather than mislead or displace jobs. The alliance proposed the establishment of a permanent federal AI working group to foster collaboration among government, industry, and civil society on responsible AI implementation.
In addition to advocating for job security and workers’ rights, the alliance called for reinforced safeguards for Canadians’ data security. Minister of Artificial Intelligence Evan Solomon announced that the forthcoming national AI strategy would address labor market implications.
