This research by Di Luong is a landscape analysis of the most widely used hiring apps. Di found that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the labor sector is pervasive. Indeed, there are multiple examples of employers tracking labor productivity, health status, and replacing core job activities among others. AI is capturing the employee’s digital footprint while simultaneously attempting to predict the employee’s next move.

By conducting interviews with housekeepers, nannies, and human-centered designers, Di was able to better understand who are more likely to be hired, or denied job placement, through these apps. Following these interviews, Di created a chatbot named D.I. (Diverse Intelligence). It is co-developed with members of the public who joined her workshops and it explores the impact of surveillance and artificial intelligence on the care economy, specifically nannies and housekeepers. D.I.’s intended audience are employees, employers of domestic workers, as well as app developers and designers. As a result, the Afrofuture, Di is working toward is one where workers could combat the harmful impact of potentially biased AI and protect the labor rights of childcare workers, housekeepers, and forms of labor in the domestic work sector.