Since it threatens to replace workers, Massiah says Artificial Intelligence must be carefully introduced

David Massiah, the general secretary of the Antigua and Barbuda
Workers’ Union (ABWU), is warning workers to be on their guard,
given the rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
 
Speaking on Sunday, September 17, at the Union’s 56th  annual
delegates conference, Massiah said there are four factors affecting
the job market to which keen attention must be paid:

The balkanization of the world, with the possible escalation of
conflict; the significant growth in the importance of Artificial
Intelligence; the continuing impact of climate change; and inflation.
 
Massiah says the speed at which AI has expanded and its
implications for workers are of great concern to the Union, as AI is
expected to see an annual growth of 37.3 percent from 2023 to
2030.
 
“With the advent of powerful computers, increased storage capacity,
and faster data processing speed, these machines are displacing
workers,” Massiah warns, “because of their ability to automate tasks
that were previously performed by humans.”
 
This automation, he notes, not only saves time and money, but also
increases efficiency and accuracy.
 
Therefore, he says, the Union must ensure that the Government
introduces AI into the society to effect positive changes that benefit
the working class – since the technology is being pushed to replace
workers in the future.
 
Meanwhile, Massiah says the recent links forged between the
African Union, China, and Russia – as well as the bonding taking
place between Africa and the Caribbean – especially the
development of a digital bank, are likely to be game changers.
 
This new trend in banking, Massiah notes, has affected, and
continues to affect, our society in many ways – including senior
citizens’ struggle to process their cash deposits.
 
Further, he says, “The geopolitical atmosphere which the country is
currently experiencing is fraught with threats around which we
have to navigate,” Massiah says.
 
And one of the major threats to the Caribbean is the impact of the US
dollar, which is so important to regional economies.
 
Any significant increases in the cost of doing business would prove
very harmful to the cost of living in Antigua and Barbuda and to
workers’ stability, the general secretary warns.