Bosses Now Using AI to Determine Employee States of Mind

Many companies use surveys to gauge the mindsets of employees. Now, in the age of artificial intelligence, SPS Companies Inc. has contracted an artificial intelligence tool known as Xander to help analyze employee feelings. The developer at Ultimate Software Group Inc. says Xander can assess blocks of text written in response to open-ended questions in order to determine whether employees are happy, frustrated, confused, etc.

Over 40% of employers around the world now utilize artificial intelligence in some way, according to a recent study from Deloitte. This has some employees worried about being psychoanalyzed by an algorithm.

“I’m fully aware of a handful of people who didn’t want to take the survey because they had a fear of being tracked,” says Corey Kephart, vice president of human resources at SPS.

In the coming decade, as AI and automation become bigger parts of the human economy and workforce, the friction between employees and their digital overlords/corporate higher-ups is expected to grow. Some economists speculate the combination of automation and a Universal Basic Income will provoke more humans to become entrepreneurs.