The use of AI in Chinese workplaces and the impact on employees offers important lessons for the roll-out of this technology around the world. China places few restrictions on developers, and this environment has enabled the rapid emergence of a wide range of AI tools.
AI integration in China is largely driven by market forces and competition, favouring business interests over those of employees, which has left workers vulnerable to exploitation. For the most part, these impacts disproportionately affect those in low-skilled jobs, particularly in lower value-added sectors, such as raw materials processing, which often use AI solutions more aggressively in workforce management due to narrower profit margins.
As this technology continues to develop at speed, international policymakers must comprehensively evaluate the role of AI in the workplace to avoid negative and unforeseen consequences. In this respect, insights from China are critical.
