We must shape AI – or it will shape the future of work in the North East

While employers are focused on the gains for profit margins and productivity, workers across the North East are understandably worried about their futures. Policy makers and employers need to ensure that advances in AI don’t leave working people and their communities behind. 

The North East has been at the sharp end time and again when it comes to periods of industrial transformation. From shipbuilding to coal, steel and manufacturing, when employers have cut back it is the people of the North East have struggled. ‘Modernisation,’ in this region has too often meant unplanned deindustrialisation, and the withdrawal of decent, unionised jobs. AI threatens to repeat that story, only faster and across more sectors.

Interactions between managers and their staff are also being influenced by AI, through the use of performance monitoring tools where every keystroke is tracked. Even hiring decisions are being handed to AI, with worrying implications for transparency. 

The TUC’s message is clear: AI must work for people, not the other way around.

As a region, we are uniquely placed to lead on the progressive use of AI to transform work, for the benefit of people, not to their detriment. Our world-leading universities and skilled workers have an incredible tradition of innovation. However, without industrial strategy and strong rules, AI is likely to only benefit companies’ bottom line. Helping shareholders, not our communities; and certainly not working people.

We at the Trades Union Congress work with union members to explore how artificial intelligence can be used utilised by the union movement within workplaces. As a movement we are leading the way on ensuring workers are trained in AI and digital safety so they can build confidence and skills that guard against risks such as job loss or data misuse. We continue to poll workplaces, create learning resources, and host training sessions in response to the changing picture around AI. The aim is simple, to make sure AI works for working people.

Workers need clear legal protections, that limit the excesses of algorithmic management. We need investment in training, digital tools and skills fit for today. Most importantly of all, workers need a voice, through their trade union, that can be involved in key decisions around the implementation of AI. 

With the right policy, and a strong voice for workers, AI can be a boon for our region, freeing us up from the drudgery of repetitive tasks, while opening up new and creative ways of working. That won’t happen by accident. It will only happen if workers, and their unions, are at the table. 

First published in the Journal (Newcastle-upon-Tyne), 13 October 2025