Multiverse Teachers Allege AI Monitoring Caused Horrendous Stress at £1.6bn Training Firm
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 28
Multiverse Teachers Allege AI Monitoring Caused Horrendous Stress at £1.6bn Training Firm
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 28
Summary
Several Multiverse teachers said a newly introduced AI system that scores lesson transcripts and assigns “risk status” has left staff losing sleep, seeking therapy and feeling under continuous scrutiny.
The tool watches instructors for hours a day instead of monthly human observations, flagging issues such as slow responses to tech disruptions, filler phrases, vague answers and one-to-one exchanges it treats as digressions.
Teachers said managers have challenged them over AI-detected mistakes that were actually responses to learners’ needs, while dashboard access remains with managers during the rollout.
Multiverse, which employs more than 800 people and was recently valued at £1.6bn, said the system only directs human attention and that only managers write performance reviews.
The complaints add to wider concern over workplace AI surveillance in the UK, with unions calling for tighter regulation and researchers warning such monitoring can erode job satisfaction and worker autonomy.