Equity Boycotts BBC AI Survey

What happened

Equity, the UK actors union representing 50,000 members, urged its members to boycott the BBC's charter renewal survey. The union cited concerns over the survey's AI use for aggregating public responses and its "airbrushing of the workforce," neglecting freelance workers. Equity General Secretary Paul Fleming called the survey "unfit for purpose" due to "limited themes" and "simplistic framing." The UK government's Culture, Media & Sport department confirmed AI use for aggregation, but without automated decision-making. Equity demands an "enforceable commitment to an ethical, rights-based approach to AI."

Why it matters

Union opposition to AI use in public consultations establishes a new constraint on government and public sector AI adoption. Procurement teams deploying AI for public engagement now face increased scrutiny from organised labour regarding data aggregation and workforce representation. This mechanism, driven by Equity's boycott, signals that AI tools for public feedback may require explicit ethical frameworks and union consultation to avoid deployment delays. This follows Equity's ongoing negotiations with producer trade body Pact over AI in contracts, indicating a broader pattern of union resistance.