This talk dispels the myth that generative AI is an autonomous force with a will of its own. Focusing in on the AI industry’s hidden abode of production, the talk centers on how AI is designed, built, and maintained by workers—both waged and unwaged—employed by big tech giants and a vast international network of contractors and sub-contractors. The talk recognizes the human labour powering AI, shedding light on the AI industry’s dependence on human knowledge and skill and also showing how AI is being used by firms to deskill and automate labour in creative industry fields like acting, music, writing, and visual arts.

Additionally, the talk surveys some of the ways workers are contesting AI-driven deskilling and automation through unions, policy advocacy, and social media campaigns. Ultimately, this talk challenges the distraction of AI’s techno-determinist hype and attends to how workers both make and push back against AI’s disruptive impacts.