A workers’ inquiry is a tool for workers to produce knowledge about their own work - and use this knowledge as a basis for organizing for something better. As an organizing tool, it gives workers a space to reflect on their conditions and consider the broader forces that shape them, as well as places they would like to see change, and potentials for how that change can come about. By going through this exercise together, we can better understand one another, identify key shared issues, and build solidarity. This particular inquiry was inspired by ones conducted at University of Michigan, a workshop at ACM FAccT, Data Workers Inquiry, and earlier from the inquiries conducted by Tech Workers Coalition.

Every manager will tell you their policies and arguments come from their own unique analysis of your particular workplace. But in truth, the bosses aren’t very creative, and draw from the same few linkedin influencers for their arguments and ideas. We’ve put together a bingo card as a tool to recognize what the same tired talking points are, and to prepare to answer them. Like any organizing tool, what matters is not the tool, but the organizing around it, and how it helps you to bring people together and have discussions to build resolve, solidarity and confidence.

Generate and print randomized cards!

Or print a nicely-formatted two-sided pdf.

Then check out the various play styles below.

While many tech workers are concerned about the implementation of AI, the narrative from bosses and media alike has been that we are hopeless and helpless in the face of technological “progress”. They tell us that as workers we are mere bit players in the historical stage who must hang on for dear life and hope for the best. But this is not true. Workers can and have organized to take control of their working conditions, even in the face of automation – from the formation of textile worker unions in Britain in the 1880s through the Mechanization and Modernization contracts of longshore workers in the 1960s and even by unions such as nurses and Hollywood guilds in the face of AI rollouts these last few years. What these struggles have in common is that workers organized together, created broad communities of solidarity, and were able to wield collective power to win collective demands. While the circumstances we face are somewhat new, we can draw on the lessons and organizing traditions of those who came before.

There’s new news about AI every day, almost too much, and much of it fluff, hype, or debate over fluff and hype. Here’s some resources, organizations and articles we’ve found helpful.

Organizing about AI in the workplace – either in its usage or effects on our own conditions, or how it is deployed in products – requires a certain balancing act. Neither our bosses nor many of our coworkers will accede to blanket opposition. Further, a debate on that terrain will quickly turn into a tedious technical one on the current state versus future prospects, and many other unknowables. On the other hand, advocating to “use AI right” or “responsibly” will alienate the necessary activist core, who tend to be more negative on the issue. Further, it gives ground to the employers, accepting their framing that there is something necessarily important or worthwhile in adoption of the technology.