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AI, Control, and the Future of Work: Tesla’s Approach Raises Ethical Dilemmas in a New Era of Productivity




The Tesla Berlin-Brandenburg Gigafactory has been brewing controversies about dispatching supervisors to private homes where employees take extended perennial sick leaves. André Thierig, the head of the factory's manufacturing department, has also come forward to justify this contentious issue, saying it was a common thing to do to encourage hard work.


He further felt that labour protection laws were being abused in the country by some employees who took numerous sick days, even on Fridays or near the end of operations. As such, the company witnessed sickness rates as high as 15 percent; hence, about 200 personnel failed to report to work at all this year while reporting their illnesses regularly.

On the other hand, the Union condemned such acts claiming it as a 'culture of fear' the company was fostering at the car plant where some twelve thousand people are employed by it. Bad working conditions and long hours, as well as lack of enough health and safety standards, being among some of the key determinants of high absenteeism levels in the location, were pointed out by the trade union. They believe that Tesla, instead of forcing the ailing employees, should deal with the causes originating in the workplace that make them stressed and vectors for diseases.


Even though visits, according to Tesla, are for ensuring productivity, one ethical issue still remains: is Tesla interested in the welfare of the employees or for reasons of control? Could an ulterior motive be attached to the method wherein this can be viewed as a means to avoid moral responsibility to provide a better working condition rather than just promoting enforcement through building compliance mechanisms?


This incident is the essence of Elon Musk's infamous take on work culture: "Nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week." Preoccupation with productivity often occurs at the expense of traditional norms regarding the balance between work and personal time, furthering questions about how Tesla balances efficiency with fair labour practices.

, claiming it as a 'culture of fear' that the company was fostering at the car plant where some twelve thousand people are employed


QUESTIONS

This also sharply focuses on one of the key questions with which the future of work—and indeed, the future of AI systems—must grapple: As companies increasingly adopt AI-driven monitoring and management tools, how will these technologies be viewed in terms of employee privacy, autonomy, and well-being?

Will AI help create better workplace conditions and give workers constant support, or will it only police them, potentially engendering a strict and controlled atmosphere?


As AI becomes more embedded in everyday practices, the future of work will be all about striking a balance between technological efficiency and human dignity.

Given the rising role of AI systems, this opens up larger questions about the future of work: as firms like Tesla push for higher productivity, how might they balance efficiency against worker well-being, privacy, and autonomy?

Will the future of work be characterised by flexibility and health or by AI-driven command and control, which will erode employee satisfaction? 


The more AI will be integral, the more ethical use of the technology will determine the future relation between labour, technology, and business interests.


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