Nothing is Inevitable but Class Struggle: A Workerist Perspective on AI Regulation

Abstract

AI systems are often portrayed in narratives that exaggerate their potential, either as a universal solution or as a looming disaster. Particularly in the workplace, AI is depicted as an unstoppable force that shapes an entirely novel labour process. Consequently, efforts to regulate its introduction and deployment are dismissed as futile or even regressive. This paper argues for a different approach. Firstly, it proposes engaging with AI within the framework of Fordism-Taylorism, reflecting capital's long-standing aspirations for labour intensification, opacity of decision making and separation between conception and execution. Secondly, drawing on recent workers' struggles, with a particular focus on the Efood platform in Greece, the paper illustrates how labour resistance can influence the deployment and regulation of AI. The case study of Efood highlights the collective actions taken by workers against AI-powered algorithmic management, demonstrating the potential for labour to contest and reshape the introduction of new technologies. In the concluding sections, a general outline of this perspective is provided as well as an analysis of how it can potentially tactically benefit from existing regulation, such as the AI Act.