Haydn Belfield wrote a short piece for the Daily Mirror's Oliver Milne on 'What Labour's new leader must do now - six experts give their verdict on party's future', alongside General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress Frances O'Grady and CBI Deputy Director-General Josh Hardie.
"Coronavirus has brought the UK – the world – to a standstill.
But under the frozen surface, the coronavirus is speeding up two long-term digital changes that the new Labour leader needs to respond to quickly.
Artificial intelligence (AI) are machines that can think and learn like we can.
Robots and AI have been doing more of our jobs for years.
Now that most of us have to stay home, companies are looking for machines (that can’t get sick!) to take on more tasks.
Automation should be used to improve productivity and wages – not take people’s jobs. Labour should argue for this on behalf of workers.
For years, Governments have been collecting information on us. Some of the world’s richest companies became rich by selling our data.
Now governments and companies are trying to track everyone’s location and contacts with others.
South Korea and Singapore have been able to do this, and keep their economies working.
‘Contact tracing’ could help as an emergency response, but it needs proper oversight and it needs a time-limit.
‘Emergency’ surveillance after 9/11 is still continuing two decades later."
