The recent two-day symposium organized by 'Rizospastis', the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI), marking a significant moment in the country's public discourse. While most discussions regarding AI oscillate between techno-optimism and abstract ethics, this symposium attempted to ground the technology within the framework of productive relations and class struggle. The central question was not merely 'what can AI do,' but 'for whom does AI work?'
AI as a Productive Force
At the heart of the presentations was the thesis that Artificial Intelligence is not a neutral technological development but a potent productive force evolving within a specific socio-economic system. Speakers—including academics, researchers, and trade unionists—analyzed how machine learning algorithms and large language models are integrated into production to boost productivity. However, it was emphasized that under the current regime, this increase does not translate into better lives for workers but rather into intensified exploitation.
The analysis focused on the fact that AI enables the automation of not only manual tasks but also complex cognitive labor. This creates a new reality for the working class and middle strata, as capital seeks to reduce labor costs and exert full control over the production process. The symposium highlighted that technological unemployment is not an inevitability but a result of using technology for profit rather than satisfying social needs.
Labor Rights and Digital Surveillance
One of the most compelling aspects of the symposium was the discussion on 'algorithmic management.' Presenters described how AI is already being deployed in workplaces—from Amazon warehouses to delivery platforms in Greece—to monitor, evaluate, and discipline workers in real-time. This new level of digital surveillance erodes personal autonomy and transforms the worker into a component of an algorithm that demands constant peak performance.
- The use of algorithms for hiring and firing without human intervention.
- The intensification of labor through software-imposed time optimization.
- The erosion of collective bargaining through 'individualized' performance tracking.
According to the analyses presented, the answer cannot be technophobia or the rejection of progress. Instead, the need for robust union intervention was prioritized, demanding a reduction in working hours without loss of pay, leveraging the increased productivity that AI offers.
The Ideological Use of AI and Education
The symposium also examined the impact of AI on education and ideology. It was noted that AI systems are trained on data that reflect dominant social biases, thereby reproducing the prevailing ideology under an 'objective' veneer. In education, the introduction of AI is often presented as a panacea, whereas in reality, it could lead to the degradation of critical thinking and the alignment of curricula with the ephemeral needs of the labor market.
"Science and technology are achievements of human intellect. The question is which class holds the keys to these laboratories and for what purpose they are used."
This quote summarized the spirit of the event, underlining that unleashing the potential of AI requires a different social organization where scientific research is public and oriented toward social welfare rather than the profitability of tech giants.
Conclusions and Perspectives
The 'Rizospastis' initiative demonstrated that critical political thought in Greece must closely monitor technological shifts. Artificial Intelligence is not a future sci-fi scenario but a present reality reshaping the economic landscape. The symposium concluded that the struggle for control over data, algorithms, and AI infrastructure is an integral part of the fight for social justice in the 21st century. Informing the working class and developing an independent analysis of technology is the first step toward ensuring that the 'digital revolution' does not become a new dark age of labor enslavement.
