Stories from the Frontline: Recuperating Essential Worker Accounts of AI Integration

Abstract

This paper aims to elevate essential worker accounts of the introduction of AI technology amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing from a mix of ethnographic observations, interviews, and participatory design encounters with frontline staff, we examine the experiences of workers in a waste management facility in the United States newly tasked with overseeing autonomous floor cleaning robots. To complement and extend managerial and engineering descriptions emphasizing the functionality and performance of these devices, we used recuperative approaches to re-center the socio-material realities of workers on-the-ground. For example, workers reported concerns on the safety of the devices in congested areas and a need for more comprehensive training across all levels of the organization. This research seeks to expand the discourse on ethical AI by situating essential workers as a key source in developing best practices for deploying new technologies and evaluating pilot projects.