Unionized New York Times employees have taken legal action against the publication, claiming it uses artificial intelligence to “surveil and monitor” them.
Staffers in the New York Times Guild and the separate Times Tech Guild filed two grievances and an unfair labor practice charge against the Gray Lady, claiming the outlet is deploying AI to spy on employees in a “violation of their collective bargaining agreement.”
“Using AI to surveil our work violates our contract and creates a skewed, inaccurate picture of our members’ work,” said Benjamin Harnett, chair of the Tech Guild’s generative AI committee and a staff software engineer at the Times.
“Our work takes human judgment, problem-solving and skill that can’t be accurately assessed by AI analysis and proxy metrics. It’s the equivalent of setting an arbitrary story quota for journalists,” he added.
According to the unions, Times management has “continually refused to provide information to the Tech Guild on the company’s use of AI, despite being required by federal law to provide information that relates to either bargaining or contract enforcement. “
The Times allegedly refused to respond to three requests for information from the guilds.
“We disagree with the characterizations made in the grievance and will respond as part of our normal contractual process,” a spokeswoman for paper told The Post. “Likewise, we will respond to this Request for Information (RFI) in due course as we’ve done with 80+ other RFIs from the Guild in recent years.”
The unions said their first request for information was sent nearly two months ago, on March 26, followed by requests on April 22 and a final notice on May 6.
They’re seeking information on the company’s current and past use of AI, as well as planned and contemplated use of the tech and its impact on employees and workflow, the unions said.
The blow up comes as the Times Guild, which represents more than 1,500 editorial, ad sales and support staff, is currently bargaining for a new contract. Guild members gathered last week in front of the New York Times Building in Midtown Manhattan, calling for stronger artificial intelligence protections and affordable health care.
On behalf of the Times Guild, the NewsGuild of New York filed a separate unfair labor practice charge.
“Workers everywhere are under attack from the unethical use of artificial programs by bosses,” said NewsGuild of New York President Susan DeCarava.
“Sadly, New York Times management has proven themselves to be no different, rejecting both transparency and accountability for how artificial programs are being used against the very workers who help make the company successful.”
