Community Groups Raise Concerns Over AI-Enabled Robots at FIFA Events
Coalition warns of unchecked deployment robotics raises questions about worker safety, privacy, and public oversight
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A coalition of labor, community, and consumer advocates today raised concerns about Hyundai and Boston Dynamics’ deployment of AI-enabled robots at FIFA events in Dallas and New York, warning that powerful corporations are introducing new technologies into public spaces and workplaces without adequate transparency, community consultation, or regulatory safeguards. According to Hyundai’s press release, the robots will “conduct autonomous patrols, perform real-time inspections, and assist with site monitoring in high-traffic environments.”
Advocates argue that the rapid deployment of artificial intelligence and robotics is fundamentally a question of power, accountability, and public oversight. A small number of corporations collect vast amounts of data and expand these technologies into communities with no regard to privacy, the environmental and health concerns. Workers, residents, and the public deserve answers about how these systems operate, what information they collect and how it’s used, environmental and social impacts, and what safeguards exist to protect privacy, safety, and democratic accountability
“Technology should improve people’s lives, not leave workers and communities in the dark,” said Fátima Murrieta, campaign organizing manager, Jobs to Move America. “The problem is not innovation itself. The problem is deploying powerful AI and robotics systems without transparency, public oversight, or meaningful safeguards. Workers and communities deserve to know what technologies are being introduced, how they are being used, and who benefits from them.”
The coalition noted that Hyundai and Boston Dynamics announced the deployment of robotics technology at FIFA events without meaningful engagement with workers, community stakeholders, or the public. Advocates say the deployment raises important questions about surveillance, data collection, worker safety, privacy, and the long-term impact of AI-enabled technologies in public spaces and workplaces.
Behind every AI system are human decisions. People determine what data is collected, how systems are trained, what outcomes are prioritized, and how the technology is ultimately used. Without transparency and accountability, those decisions can reinforce existing inequities and disproportionately impact workers, consumers, and Black, Brown, immigrant, and low-income communities.
“AI systems are not value-neutral. ” Embedded in every AI system are human decisions about power, profit, and accountability made by Big Tech,” said JB Branch, AI governance and technology policy counsel at Public Citizen. “Communities deserve more than corporate assurances that everything will be fine. They deserve transparency, meaningful oversight, enforceable safeguards, and a voice in how these technologies are deployed. The public deserves answers before AI-powered technologies become fixtures of everyday life.”
Advocates also raised concerns about the rapid expansion of AI-enabled robotics without clear standards governing workplace safety, public safety, data privacy, or accountability. The use of AI-enabled robots also raises questions about the impact of AI use on energy and environmental protections given that AI data is process in data centers already known to cause environmental pollution. While emerging technologies may offer benefits, experts warn that introducing them without proper guardrails can expose workers and the public to unnecessary risks and create long-term harms that become more difficult to address over time.
The coalition is calling on public officials and regulatory agencies to:
- Require transparency regarding what data is collected, how it is stored, and who has access to it;
- Establish clear safeguards protecting workers, communities, and consumers from harmful uses of AI and robotics technologies;
- Ensure meaningful community and worker consultation before deployment of AI-enabled systems in public spaces and workplaces;
- Create accountability mechanisms and enforceable standards governing privacy, safety, and surveillance;
- Advance regulations that ensure AI and robotics technologies benefit society as a whole rather than a small number of powerful corporations.
As AI technologies become increasingly embedded in everyday life, advocates say policymakers must act now to establish common-sense rules that prioritize public well-being, democratic accountability, and community participation.
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