According to MIT Technology Review, tech workers in China are facing instructions from their employers to train AI agents designed to replace them, leading to significant concerns among workers who had previously embraced AI technology. The development represents a notable shift in how artificial intelligence is being deployed in Chinese workplaces.
Earlier this month, a GitHub project called Colleague Skill emerged, which according to the report claimed to allow workers to “distill” their skills into AI systems. The project’s appearance coincided with growing directives from management for employees to participate in training their potential replacements.
MIT Technology Review reports that this situation has prompted “a wave of soul-searching among otherwise enthusiastic early adopters” of AI technology. The workers affected had generally been supportive of artificial intelligence developments, making the current circumstances particularly challenging as they confront the reality of being asked to facilitate their own job displacement through AI training efforts.