Technology has played a major part in helping companies improve performance and boost productivity, and artificial intelligence (AI) looks set to find even greater efficiencies—though perhaps at a higher human cost.

There have long been concerns about the impact AI-based systems can have in the workplace. In recent years, companies have run afoul of regulators by using AI tools for monitoring performance to the point of surveillance.

Neil Hodge is a freelance business journalist and photographer based in Nottingham, United Kingdom. He writes on insurance and risk management, corporate governance, internal audit, compliance, and legal...