Artificial Intelligence and its Influence

 

Artificial Intelligence and its Influence

At a time when the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is drastically redefining the nature and future of work across all sectors — from healthcare and finance to education and agriculture — organizing a timely and insightful seminar on “Artificial Intelligence and its Influence” is not only commendable but essential for preparing the working class to face the challenges ahead. The increasing automation, algorithmic surveillance, predictive controls, and data-driven decision-making brought by AI technologies are rapidly altering job profiles, reducing human involvement in core sectors, and raising serious concerns about job displacement, working hours, data privacy, and labour rights. While AI holds the potential to enhance productivity, improve precision, and reduce manual drudgery, it also threatens to widen inequality, intensify unemployment, and erode hard-earned labour protections if not democratically governed.

In this critical backdrop, we sincerely thank the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the Bhubaneswar Coordination Committee of Unions and Associations (BCCUA) for organizing this highly relevant and thought-provoking seminar on 20th July 2025 at Gopabandhu Sabha Kashya, Jaydev Vihar, Bhubaneswar. This was not merely an academic discussion but a necessary political and ideological intervention at a time when labour movements across the globe are grappling with the implications of AI and digital transformation. The presence of over a hundred committed comrades from various sectors reflected the growing interest and concern among the working masses about the future that is being shaped without their participation.

We place on record our deep appreciation to Comrade Sudip Dutta, All India Secretary, CITU, for addressing the gathering with remarkable clarity, depth, and commitment. Under the able presidenship of Comrade Bishnu Mohanty, State Secretary, CITU Odisha, the seminar unfolded as a structured and engaging discourse that did not merely present the dual character of AI but also made critical interventions about what the working class must accept and what it must resist. Com. Dutta’s presentation rightly emphasized that while the technological revolution cannot be stopped, it must be shaped in such a manner that it benefits the workers and not the capital alone. His paper on AI was both enlightening and action-oriented, equipping participants with the necessary understanding to respond to these changes in their own sectors.

The open question-answer session that followed was another highlight, where comrades and leaders from various unions actively participated and posed pertinent questions about AI’s impact on employment, surveillance mechanisms, skill requirements, and the role of trade unions. Com. Dutta patiently addressed each question with detailed responses, reflecting both his scholarship and commitment to building awareness among the working class.

On behalf of the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers, Odisha State CoC, I was privileged to attend this seminar along with Com. Rabindranath Dhal, Com. Srikant Mallick, and Com. Dipti Ranjan Mohanty. We left the seminar enriched and more equipped to understand and address the challenges posed by the digital economy and Artificial Intelligence. It is our sincere hope that such engagements will continue across the country, empowering the working people to demand a just and inclusive transition in this AI-driven era.

Once again, our heartfelt thanks to CITU, BCCUA, and especially Comrade Sudip Dutta for this valuable initiative. We remain committed to collectively defending the rights of the working class and ensuring that the future of work remains humane, equitable, and democratic.

In solidarity.

🙏🤝🌹🚩🌹🤝🙏

Bruhaspati Samal

General Secretary

Confederation of Central Govt Employees and Workers

Odisha State CoC, Bhubaneswar