A Co-op worker says they are being subjected to AI surveillance that can analyse almost every word they say during customer calls, with the employee describing the experience as 'really dystopian.'
Co-op Legal Services has introduced an automated system that records and analyses calls between employees and customers seeking help with matters including probate, wills and estates.
The system uses an OpenAI model trained to assess more than 50 aspects of each conversation and produce percentage scores and pass-or-fail assessments that managers can use when examining employee performance.
The Co-op worker told The Guardian that the system can result in their work being monitored by AI for several hours a day. The calls often involve customers dealing with bereavement and seeking advice about wills, probate and estates.
'You are being watched,' the anonymous worker said, adding that they felt they were being monitored for 'absolutely every word' spoken during calls.
The worker contrasted the technology with traditional compliance checks, where only occasional calls might be reviewed. 'It just feels really dystopian. It's the thin end of the wedge,' the worker said.
The AI monitoring was introduced over the past few months and is understood to affect dozens of legal-services employees. The system is also being used to identify ways workers can improve their sales performance.
How Co-op's AI System Works
The technology analyses customer conversations across more than 50 separate aspects. Those assessments can then be converted into percentage and pass-or-fail scores that managers can use when reviewing employee performance.
The move is an example of the growing use of automated workplace monitoring, with AI increasingly being used to analyse not only what workers produce but also how they communicate with customers.
Co-op says the technology is designed to support employees rather than replace human judgement. The company added AI is a 'key aspect' of its quality-assurance process and helps ensure customers receive consistent and empathetic expert guidance.
Co-op Says AI Is a Support Tool
Co-op said it did not recognise the criticism of its approach and said its probate advisers were highly engaged. The company said the AI system is used solely as a support tool and is not a decision-maker.
Caoilionn Hurley, managing director of Co-op Life Services, said the technology allows the company to review customer conversations more efficiently and use the findings for support, coaching and employee development.
'Human judgment, accountability, care and kindness remain at the heart of every client relationship,' Hurley said.
Unions Raise Concerns Over AI Workplace Surveillance
The Co-op case comes as employers increasingly experiment with AI systems designed to monitor and assess workers. The Communication Workers Union has criticised the spread of such technology.
John Chadfield, the union's national officer, said AI monitoring could make working lives more intense and argued that automated systems should not become employees' managers.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has also raised questions about how workplaces will adapt as performance feedback becomes increasingly automated.
Hayfa Mohdzaini, a senior policy and practice adviser at the organisation, said the workplace could become 'more like a factory' as performance feedback becomes more structured.
The International Labour Organization has separately warned about potential psychosocial risks associated with AI-enabled workplace monitoring, including work intensification, reduced autonomy and privacy concerns. Such research highlights potential risks associated with AI monitoring generally; it does not establish that Co-op's system has caused stress or other harm to its employees.
