Global Resistance to AI at Work: Case Studies, Theories, and Methodologies

AI has infiltrated many domains of work, with much of the debate focusing on how it affects work processes and means to increase productivity and work satisfaction. Despite much of the discussion centering around the narratives of big tech companies, worker resistance is also emerging. Worker resistance draws on theories of the agentic nature of workers in the face of technological change and goes back to the industrial revolution with the actions of the Luddites. This session brings together global perspectives on what resistance to AI at work looks like, with a particular focus on case studies, theories and methodologies. We invite discussion around the many forms of resistance that could emerge ranging from individual resistance to collective action. We invite empirical, theoretical, and methodological papers that examine the many forms such resistance can take: from individual acts of non-compliance and disengagement to organized collective action. We are interested in papers that explore the structural and experiential roots of resistance, including the erosion of professional autonomy and identity, loss of skill and discretion, mistrust in the accuracy and fairness of AI systems, and digital exhaustion across diverse work contexts. We also welcome contributions that engage with innovative methodologies for studying resistance, such as counternarratives, digital diaries, community-based participatory research, and ethnographic approaches. We are particularly interested in global perspectives that attend to the historical, cultural, and institutional contexts that shape how, and under what conditions, workers contest AI-driven transformation.