With all the optimism about how artificial intelligence will make things more productive in the workplace — as well as the fear around its potential to displace workers — another dimension to AI in life and work is also becoming more apparent: How people are beginning to interact with the technology in new (and sometimes unsettling) ways.
HR Dive spoke with Michael Elkon, partner at Fisher Phillips, about what’s on the horizon for compliance and AI in the workplace.
Employees using AI to harass a co-worker
When the internet became commonplace in the mid-to-late ’90s, employers marveled at how it made the workplace more efficient. At the same time, “people figured out, ‘Oh wait, there’s porn on the internet,’” Elkon said.
Suddenly, explicit images and videos could not only be accessed easily, but shared with or sent to others. That sharing led to Title VII lawsuits alleging sexual harassment.
Workers becoming overly attached to AI — romantically or otherwise
Recently, a story went viral of a New Jersey man who reportedly fell in love with an AI chatbot and proposed — despite already having a wife and a two-year-old child. Far from being just the plot of a science fiction film, people are already beginning to develop seemingly unhealthy attachments to AI tools, and some of those attachments are happening at work, Elkon said.
Workers requesting AI as a reasonable accommodation
As workers grow more familiar with — and potentially dependent on — AI, both to accomplish tasks and for emotional support, employers are likely to see a growing set of AI accommodation requests, Elkon noted.