Digital Labour Ethics: Who’s Accountable for AI Workforce?
Digital labour is becoming increasingly prevalent in the workplace, yet few widely accepted rules exist to govern its implementation. As organizations integrate artificial intelligence (AI) for routine tasks such as drafting proposals and managing inquiries, a significant leadership challenge emerges: how to manage this technology’s implementation and governance effectively.
The Rise of Digital Labour
In Japan, the Henn-na Hotel operates with a workforce almost entirely comprised of robots, handling everything from check-in to concierge services. Similarly, in the UK, the Adecco Group has utilized agentic AI for tasks like pre-screening candidates. Moreover, AI-powered robots are deployed by police to patrol public areas, while companies like FarmWise in the US create autonomous machines for agricultural tasks, such as weeding fields without human intervention. In Singapore, robot baristas automate repetitive tasks in coffee shops, allowing human staff to focus on customer engagement.
These instances illustrate that AI is increasingly taking on roles previously filled by humans, such as drafting proposals and handling support inquiries. For example, GitHub Co-Pilot assists coders with coding tasks, while Harvey AI helps lawyers with contract analysis and legal research. Thus, the challenge for executives now lies not in proving the technology’s efficacy, but in defining the rules under which it operates and the values it upholds.
Understanding Agentic AI
Agentic AI surpasses traditional automation by making decisions and taking actions autonomously after analyzing data. The deployment of advanced AI agents performing workflows analogous to human roles, such as call center representatives, represents a shared responsibility between leadership and technology.
While breakthroughs in AI generate headlines, many companies struggle with implementation. A recent report from MIT Sloan revealed that 95% of generative AI pilots fail to yield meaningful returns, highlighting a significant leadership issue. The hype surrounding AI often overshadows its practical applications, leading many businesses to view it merely as a cost-effective labour substitute. Without a clear strategy to harness AI’s full potential, organizations risk pursuing short-term savings through pilots that seldom lead to sustainable changes.
The Need for Digital Labour Governance
To govern digital labour responsibly—whether through robotics in the physical world or digital platforms—new frameworks that account for agency, accountability, and alignment between human and machine actors are essential. CEOs must cultivate three core capabilities: to see, shape, and test. Each agentic action must be auditable, providing transparency regarding the data used, reasoning processes, guiding policies, and outcomes produced.
Moreover, the scope and behaviour of AI systems must be continuously defined and adjusted as conditions evolve. Key performance metrics such as accuracy, bias, speed, and business impact should be tested before and after any changes. Security principles, such as zero trust, which govern human interactions, should also apply to digital labour. Role-based restrictions, least-privilege access, and robust identity requirements must be enforced across all AI systems to ensure that no workforce—human or digital—has unrestricted access to critical systems.
Investing in Digital Workers
Just as with human colleagues, digital workers require sustained investment in terms of time, money, and relationship-building. The investment begins by clearly defining the problems the system is intended to solve, the decisions it can autonomously make, and the matters that require escalation.
Onboarding processes should encompass credentials, process maps, policies, and business context that enable the system to operate within the organization’s language and standards. Training should be an ongoing process, demanding continuous input, feedback, and coaching to ensure optimal performance. Supervisors must be equipped to adjust constraints as they would during a performance review.
When a digital role is no longer necessary, it should be retired with the same rigor applied to human employees: revoking access, preserving artifacts, and ensuring closure.
The CEO’s Role in Transformation
Ethics in the era of digital labour cannot focus solely on compliance. The true measure of success lies in whether these systems enhance human dignity and opportunity. CEOs play a crucial role in maximizing transformation while ensuring governance is observable, manageable, and accountable.
Successful organizations will recognize agentic AI not as a mere cost-cutting mechanism but as a catalyst for reinvention. When paired with effective strategy, it can redeploy human capacity toward creativity, judgment, and impact that machines alone cannot replicate.
Imagine a scenario where digital workers comprehend organizational objectives and actively participate in business operations. Rather than merely executing tasks, they model scenarios, anticipate outcomes, and accelerate decision-making processes, thereby creating exponential value across the organization.
Conclusion: Serving People and Performance
The adoption of AI is on the rise, with 78% of organizations reporting usage in 2024, up from 55% the previous year. Analysts suggest that within a few years, half of white-collar roles could be reshaped, particularly entry-level positions. However, only a small fraction of firms are redesigning their operating models or implementing enforceable guardrails.
Organizations that thrive will leverage AI decisively, reimagining their business models and integrating AI as a part of the workforce, governed with the same discipline and accountability as human employees. CEOs who establish clear standards, enforce accountability, and design digital labour to amplify human potential will ensure that progress serves both people and performance effectively.
