Co-op Legal Services is using artificial intelligence powered by OpenAI to record, analyse and score customer calls against more than 50 criteria, with one employee warning: 'You are being watched'.
According to The Guardian, the system analyses calls involving customers seeking advice about probate, wills and estates, giving managers pass-or-fail scores they can use to assess staff performance. One whistleblower described the technology as 'oppressive and dystopian'.
Workers Say AI Monitors Their Every Word
A Co-op employee told The Guardian that staff can spend several hours a day under AI monitoring, depending on how much time they spend speaking to customers. Some callers are recently bereaved people seeking help with legal matters.
'You are being watched,' the employee said.
'It's different from occasionally being listened to for compliance purposes. [You are] being monitored absolutely every word that you say and every time that you utter something ... It just feels really dystopian. It's the thin end of the wedge.'
The system reportedly assesses more than 50 aspects of each phone call and gives managers pass-or-fail scores to help them analyse employee performance. The monitoring was introduced in the preceding couple of months, according to the report, and affects dozens of legal services staff. The Guardian reported that the data is also used in part to identify ways to boost sales performance.
Co-op Defends Its AI Monitoring System
Co-op said the technology was a 'key aspect of our quality assurance processes' and insisted it was used as a support tool rather than a decision-maker.
Caoilionn Hurley, managing director of Co-op Life Services, said the technology allowed the company to review customer conversations and provide staff with support and coaching.
'The efficiency of AI over traditional methods allows us to review all customer conversations to ensure we consistently deliver high standards of service, while enabling more informed support, coaching and development for colleagues ... Put simply, our goal is to provide expert support combined with empathy and understanding for every client at what can be a difficult time.
'AI helps us deliver that more consistently, while human judgment, accountability, care and kindness remain at the heart of every client relationship.'
AI Surveillance Spreads Beyond Call Centres
Co-op is part of a wider trend of employers using AI to monitor staff interactions and workplace activity.
In February, Burger King announced plans to use an AI-powered assistant called Patty, connected to employee headsets at hundreds of US restaurants. The system can detect phrases such as 'please', 'thank you' and 'welcome' during customer interactions.
Burger King said the technology was intended to help managers understand service patterns and provide coaching, rather than score employees for using specific phrases. The headset was being piloted in 500 restaurants, with wider availability across US locations planned by the end of 2026.
Meta also faced a backlash after introducing software that tracked employees' keystrokes, mouse clicks and screen activity to help train its AI models. The company paused the initiative in June amid privacy concerns and a staff protest. More than 1,600 employees signed a petition opposing the tool.
The examples illustrate how AI monitoring can extend beyond traditional call centres, raising questions about the information employers collect and how they use it to assess workers.
Union Warns of Intensifying Workplace Pressure
A trade union representative has warned that automated monitoring could intensify working lives and give employers too much reliance on unaccountable systems.
John Chadfield, national officer at the Communication Workers Union, told The Guardian: 'AI is sold as the solution to every problem, but examples like this make it clear that it can diminish sensible workplace practices and intensify working lives for no reason.
'Unaccountable computer systems should not be people's managers, and these hard-working employees demand far more respect.'
Hayfa Mohdzaini, a senior policy and practice adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, commented on the implications of more structured performance feedback.
'The office is becoming more like a factory now our performance feedback can be given in a more structured way,' she said.
'Clearly some people have a problem with it. It will be interesting to see how it develops and how much managers need to adjust their approach.'
Experts Raise Concerns Over Workplace Stress
The International Labour Organization has warned of the potential psychological risks associated with AI monitoring, including increased work-related stress.
'AI systems are being deployed in workplaces in the absence of a comprehensive regulatory framework,' the organisation said.
'Preventing the risk of harm by AI use and operation in this context may not be straightforward.'
The concerns highlight the tension between employers' use of AI to improve quality assurance and the risks of increasingly intensive workplace monitoring.
While Co-op says human judgement and accountability remain central to its customer relationships, the employee's account and the union's criticism raise questions about the extent of AI monitoring and the role automated systems should play in assessing staff.
