AI Workers, Geopolitics, and Algorithmic Collective Action

Kari Jaaskelainen

24 Nov 2025 — 1 min read

Why AI workers matter in global tech power

Governments often lean on big tech rather than restrain it. A new position paper uses International Political Economy to explain why AI rules are patchy—and argues that the people who build AI are not just employees; they’re actors in geopolitics.

Top-down rules aren’t enough. Laws and standards lag behind fast-moving AI and uneven enforcement.
Bottom-up change starts at the codebase. Empowering AI workers can drive safer, fairer systems where they’re made.
Algorithmic Collective Action (ACA): coordinated worker efforts—sharing knowledge, setting norms, and refusing harmful design—can reshape incentives.
Participatory Design for AI. Treat developers, data workers, and evaluators as sources of expertise and agency, not just labor.

AI governance isn’t only about parliaments and boardrooms—it’s also about teams, repos, and review meetings.

By recognizing AI workers as agents of change, the paper charts practical steps to align AI with the public interest.

Read more: https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.17331v1

Paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.17331v1

Register: https://www.AiFeta.com

AI AIGovernance Geopolitics TechPolicy AIWorkers AlgorithmicJustice ParticipatoryDesign ResponsibleAI

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