Gig workers challenge AI pay algorithms across Europe

Gig economy workers across Europe and the UK are challenging the use of AI-driven algorithms to manage pay and work allocation. In a legal action filed at the Amsterdam District Court, approximately 241,000 Uber drivers are represented in a claim led by Stichting Worker Info Exchange International (WIE). The lawsuit alleges that Uber’s ‘Dynamic Pay’ system breaches European data protection rules by using opaque automated decision-making to determine wages and assign trips.

Drivers report that the algorithms profile their behavior, leading to unpredictable earnings and inconsistent pay for identical tasks. Similarly, food delivery riders in the UK and Ireland, working for platforms such as Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat, have called for transparency regarding the ‘black box’ of computer-driven automation. Workers through the Workers’ Observatory claim that increased automation has coincided with a significant decline in wages and deteriorating working conditions.