In the session, “GPAI Future of Work Working Group: AI Literacy and Intersectionality”, Dr B Shadrach, FoW Expert and Project Co-Lead (India); Ms. Maya Sherman, FoW Expert and Project Co-Lead (Israel) and Ms. Kaitlyn Bove, GPAI Project Manager, Paris Expert Support Cnetre (France) presented their respective global perspective FoW projects.  

AI illiteracy problems and solutions 

B. Shadrach, in his presentation, asserted that Millions of workers worldwide affected by the introduction of AI lack a proper understanding of AI-infused workplaces. Large-scale industries may have some formidable strategies, while SMEs and small-scale industries might not be prepared for AI flourishing. Billions of dollars are invested in AI Future Skills, but none apply to informal sector workers. The cost of AI literacy among informal sector workers is unknown. He also suggests that a generic learning programme will enable informal workers to adapt to AI. 

Focusing on the farm workers, factory workers, single account holder businesses, and informal sector workers who are the backbone of various economies, Shadrach suggested an AI literacy programme that can help orientate millions of informal sector workers. He opined that a well-produced generic learning program released as an open educational resource with a Best Creative Commons license would help scale up.  

This product is a mobile phone-based curriculum in a story-telling format in vernacular languages, relatable to the target population. Designed by experts of the Global South, it will be tested among 20,000 farmers in Maharashtra. Shadrach also presented the growth of the product deployment.  

AI for fair work 

Kaitlyn Bove stated that, as part of the project, the AI for Fair Work team conducted fieldwork in East Africa to study the conditions facing workers who annotate data used in the training of AI systems. Kaitlyn said that when we talk about the future of work, we are not just talking about how it will affect work but also how it will affect data quality and workers working on data.   

CAST project 

She also explained the CAST project, a joint initiative between the Future of Work Working Group and the other Working Groups based in Inria. The goal of this project is to create and design a framework that will support three fundamental use cases: AI-based product/ solution conceptualisation and design, Identification of RAI factors and best practices specific to the project, and Evaluation of AI-based products and solutions from the perspective of responsible AI principles.  

Empower AI workers 

According to Kaitlyn, “This project aims to support and empower workers, thanks to AI tools created and workshops.” She claims the project is expected to provide an in-depth analysis of AI’s role in workers’ jobs and use social media to share about the AI tools and their potential benefits with the broader public.  

While concluding the session, Maya Sherman remarked, “To highlight AI from a different angle, we have a firm belief in these kinds of projects, and we are grateful to have the Indian presidency this year.” “We believe in the robust implementation of these kinds of projects and hope to reach all continents”, she added. Additionally, she stated that the goal behind their current projects is to “Think of AI differently, but more than anything, remember that AI is to serve the humans rather than the other way around”.  

Shadrach concluded, “Under GPAI, there is only one project that deals with India, and that is all about people who are excluded from the mainstream.”