Labor Circle Calls for Measures to Protect Skilled Workers' Movement Data

The movements of workers are being extracted as data in their entirety. Hong Ki-bin, a researcher at the Economic, Social and Humanities Research Council (a government research institute), urged the introduction of 'data commons' to protect workers' technical (movement) data used to teach robots and to distribute benefits fairly. At the FKTU Academy special lecture on the 18th, Researcher Hong pointed out that 'the whole world is competing to secure data for robot learning, and there is a risk that the movements of skilled workers could be collected predatorily solely for corporate profit.' He emphasized, 'Major countries like India, the U.S., and China are accounting for 35% of the global market by collecting workers' movements, and Germany has reached the stage of collecting muscle signals and brainwaves,' adding, 'Since robot companies prefer the precise movements of skilled workers who make no mistakes, we must create rules to protect this data and utilize it jointly.'

In South Korea, government-level data collection is also becoming full-fledged. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy launched a project in April to develop AI models based on manufacturing tacit knowledge, citing the crisis of a disconnect in passing down the know-how of masters and skilled workers. The government defines the tacit knowledge of manufacturing skilled workers as a national core asset and is supporting about 30 projects under the premise of securing unstructured data containing the tacit knowledge of manufacturing masters in key fields such as automobiles, shipbuilding, steel, machinery, electronics, defense, root industries, and textiles.

Data commons is a shared asset system where unions holding movement data collect and manage their members' movements, supply data to companies that need it in return for appropriate royalties, and negotiate to guarantee workers' basic labor rights and employment. Hong stated that to achieve this, it is necessary to launch a preparatory committee for commons, starting with a draft of the data commons regulations, the formation of a task force, and a field survey on the actual state of data collection via cameras, sensors, and wearable devices.

He also called for institutional devices. Hong stated that a ban on collection without consent and the codification of entrusted management should be reflected in collective bargaining demands, and that solidarity with other unions and industrial federations to expand the scale of commons by industry should be considered. He emphasized, 'Members' movement and biometric data cannot be collected without prior consent through the union, and the agreement must include provisions that appropriate compensation is paid for the use of collected data and that the union has the right to audit the purpose and method of use.'