The Guardian has launched a year-long editorial series called Reworked, examining how artificial intelligence is transforming work and power across the United States and globally. The series, which began on Tuesday, aims to centre workers' experiences rather than tech executives or abstract forecasts.
Reworked will challenge the binary narrative that AI will either cause mass joblessness or pose little threat. Instead, it will document how millions of Americans across industries are already working with or being managed by AI-driven systems, and how these systems are reshaping livelihoods, agency and futures.
The series will cover AI's influence in settings such as Amazon warehouses, hospitals, Hollywood writers' rooms, offices and docks. Topics include scheduling, HR disciplinary procedures, pay, promotion and creative output. A central question is who has the power to decide how these tools are deployed and whose interests they serve.
Led by Samantha Oltman, former editor-in-chief of Recode and editorial director at Vox, Reworked will feature on-the-ground reporting and commentary from across the US and beyond. Oltman said AI is often discussed as an unstoppable force, but in reality it is implemented through workplace decisions by employers, executives and lawmakers that deserve scrutiny.
The series is supported by philanthropic funding from theguardian.org in partnership with the Omidyar Network. All reporting remains editorially independent. Michele L Jawando, president of the Omidyar Network, said the AI revolution is fundamentally about power and that independent journalism centring workers' voices is essential.
