AI is quietly reshaping workplace expertise—and who profits from it
AI is changing how expertise spreads in the workplace. Everyday tasks now leave digital traces that companies use to train AI systems. This shift is reshaping how workers share their skills—and who benefits from them.
In call centres, AI assistants are being trained on transcripts of top agents' conversations. These systems then help newer employees perform at a level closer to experienced staff. A recent study found that access to such tools boosted problem-solving, especially for less experienced workers.
The same pattern appears across many jobs. Digital records of daily work—emails, calls, documents—are repurposed as training data for AI. Once encoded in software, the original worker's expertise no longer belongs to them. They may not earn extra for having contributed it, even as the AI replicates their skills. Workers now face a broader challenge. AI can spread knowledge rapidly, reducing the scarcity that once justified higher pay. At the same time, digital data makes the market for expertise global, exposing employees to competition from unexpected places. To protect their value, experts suggest rethinking how much of their work process they share. They also recommend pushing for clearer rights over their data and fair compensation for its use. Co-operation among workers could help secure a share of AI's benefits. Without it, individuals might weaken the bargaining power of their peers by agreeing to unfavourable terms.
The rise of AI means expertise is no longer confined to the worker who developed it. Companies now capture and reuse skills at scale, often without extra pay for the original contributor. For workers, the key may lie in collective action—ensuring they share in the gains from the technology built on their knowledge.
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