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Nigerian workers and the media have been advised to take control of the technological revolution in the workplace so that Artificial Intelligence (AI) does not become another instrument of exploitation in the hands of big capitalists.
The advice was given by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, who spoke at the 2025 Conference of the Labour Writers Association of Nigeria, LAWAN, held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Ajaero stated that the future of work must be shaped by human values, collective bargaining and solidarity, not machines or profit-driven algorithms.
Ajaero, who was represented by Lagos State chairperson of NLC, Funmi Sessi, said,
“The future of work in the era of Artificial Intelligence presents a new frontier in the age-old exploitation of the working class by big capital.
‘’They sell us a narrative of efficiency and progress, but we must see it for what it truly is, a tool for maximising profit by de-skilling jobs, casualising labour and weakening the collective power of the working people. This is the modern face of the class struggle.
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“As a journalist who once walked in your shoes, I understand the power you wield. Your typewriters, your recorders, and your keyboards are no less important than our placards and negotiation tables.
“They are the instruments with which we shape the narrative, counter the propaganda of the bourgeoisie and awaken the consciousness of the masses.”
Speaking further, the NLC President warned that, although presented as neutral technological progress, Artificial Intelligence was being weaponised by big corporations to intensify exploitation, reshape labour relations toward greater precariousness, and erode the very foundations of workplace rights.
“It threatens to create a new, digitally dispossessed underclass through reduction in skilling, cognitive dependence, and mass displacement. It also enables unprecedented surveillance and control over workers, undermining collective bargaining, the right to organise, and the protections that form the bedrock of workers’ dignity.
“For our nation, an AI-driven economy, shaped by capitalist imperatives, promises not inclusive development but a deepening chasm of inequality, where wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of a tiny elite,” he added.
