Technosolutionism risks sliding us toward a surveillance society

A growing reliance on technology in the workplace is raising concerns about a slide towards a surveillance society, even as companies claim to operate within legal frameworks. Swisscom, a telecommunications company partly owned by the Swiss Confederation, is planning to install microphones and motion sensors in its stores. These tools are intended to meticulously record and analyze conversations between employees and customers.

The stated goal is to enhance service quality by understanding customer needs and evaluating the effectiveness of employee advice. Swisscom aims to capture the reason for customer visits and assess whether employees are offering the right products and explaining them adequately. This initiative follows similar, though sometimes scaled-back, technological deployments by other major companies.

Earlier, Coop, a retail giant, reportedly deployed cameras capable of detecting theft using artificial intelligence. The Swiss Federal Railways (CFF) also considered using technology to analyze passenger flows by detecting age, gender, and height, though they eventually abandoned the plan. Globally, tech giants like Meta have faced backlash for attempting to monitor employee mouse clicks to train AI systems that could eventually replace them.

These developments, while often framed as efforts to boost productivity and efficiency, are prompting debate about the ethical implications. Specialists are cautioning that the increasing use of AI-powered tools for measurement, analysis, and control risks fundamentally altering societal norms. The core question remains: do we want to move towards a society where individuals are constantly measured, filmed, recorded, and analyzed, even if these practices technically adhere to existing laws?