Generative artificial intelligence will never completely replace us at work: it will exploit workers more effectively, a report by Data & Society shows.

The media hype surrounding AI has had three effects. First, it has helped us forget that this technology will mostly affect work rather than leisure. Second, it has exaggerated AI’s capacity to replicate the knowledge and expertise of workers. Finally, it has understated the drawbacks of AI, most notably in its potential to exploit legal loopholes – in particular in copyright law. In general terms, AI reduces human work to a collection of data points, all while it remains highly dependent on that work in order to function. To develop a successful AI, one must not only tap into intellectual property without consent, but also extract data from workers.