Artificial Intelligence: Companies monitor their employees

Many major companies – such as Starbucks or Walmart – use artificial intelligence to monitor communications between their employees to prevent inappropriate behavior, but some fear a loss of privacy.

Alam is no stranger to this type of surveillance. Over the course of seven years, the company has integrated artificial intelligence into professional communications software such as Slack, Zoom and Microsoft Teams, CNN reported on Monday.

Through this process, artificial intelligence examines data that remains anonymous. It should detect any issues, ranging from bullying to cyber-attack, which will then be reported to HR or IT for further review.

While the use of artificial intelligence is new, monitoring employee conversations may not be so new, according to David Johnson, principal analyst at Forrester Research.

He explained to the American media that “monitoring employee communications is not new, but the increasing complexity of the analysis made possible by the continuing progress in artificial intelligence is new.”

Such an approach can have particular repercussions on the behavior and morale of workers. So, according to a recent study by Qualtrics, which uses this technology to filter employee engagement surveys, nearly 46% of workers find this use “intimidating.”

Johnson believes that “trust is lost with waves and regained with dips, so mistakes in the early implementation of technology will have long-term consequences for employee confidence.”

“It is necessary to be careful and discriminating in the use of this technology,” he told CNN.