Aishwarya Visvanathan and Charles Santiago
The Ministry of Human Resources has announced plans to introduce an artificial intelligence-based recruitment system for migrant workers.
The announcement raises immediate questions: were stakeholders consulted? What will it cost? How will the system prevent forced labour violations? And was there a pilot?
More fundamentally, how will this AI system differ from the existing Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS)? Remember, the FWCMS became a tool for syndicates that extracted fees from workers.
An AI label does not automatically fix governance failure. What safeguards will prevent this new platform from suffering the same fate?
The ‘employer pays’ problem
The human resources minister says the AI system will achieve zero cost to workers under the ‘employer pays’ principle.
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But workers often pay these fees to informal brokers in their villages. How is AI going to track this? Digital technology must be complemented by strong, legally binding provisions.
Who controls the system?
Most importantly: who develops and controls this AI system?
Bestinet’s FWCMS was awarded without proper open tender processes and operated without a contract for six years.
Will the AI platform go through transparent public procurement, or will it be a direct negotiation?
The exploitation of migrant workers in Malaysia was described by the UN as widespread and systematic. AI systems must not replicate this. No technology can build trust while impunity for past wrongs remains the norm.
Aishwarya Visvanathan is a researcher at Monitoring Sustainability of Globalisation. Charles Santiago is a former MP for Klang.
The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.
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