Teachers at Multiverse, the tech training firm co-founded by Euan Blair, have expressed significant concerns about the intense pressure and constant monitoring they face due to the implementation of an AI system designed to evaluate their teaching. This £1.6 billion company, which focuses on delivering apprenticeship courses in computer and AI skills to thousands of UK workers across both the public and private sectors, has introduced AI technology to analyze and score transcripts from online classes. The system alerts human supervisors whenever it identifies potentially problematic behavior from instructors.
The AI is programmed to detect issues such as delays in addressing online disruptions or the frequent use of filler language—like “sort of” or “kind of.” Teachers have described the new monitoring process as “relentless” and “unnerving,” with some experiencing heightened anxiety, sleep disturbances, and even pursuing therapy as a result.
Multiverse, which employs over 800 people and trains individuals from organizations including the NHS and local authorities, relies heavily on government funding via the apprenticeship levy. Euan Blair’s stake in the company is valued at approximately £350 million. He, alongside his father, former Prime Minister Tony Blair, advocates for extensive AI integration into the UK economy, asserting the need for workers to be retrained in light of AI advancements.
The AI monitoring tool assigns risk ratings to teachers, calculates confidence scores, and generates comments about their performance for management oversight. This method adds to a growing trend of employers utilizing AI to monitor employee behavior. For instance, earlier this year, Burger King began using AI to monitor customer interactions in their restaurants, while Meta temporarily halted the tracking of employee keystrokes due to privacy concerns.
Critics warn that such AI surveillance can undermine employee autonomy, with studies indicating that it might provoke rebellious behavior among workers. Research set for release soon highlights that many employees within the UK tech sector report a decline in job satisfaction attributed to AI monitoring. The United Tech and Allied Workers branch of the Communication Workers Union has argued that AI leads to “cognitive surrender,” diminishing workers’ skills and confidence.
One anonymous Multiverse teacher shared, “The level of stress has been absolutely tremendous. It impacts sleep, and I’ve never found myself waking up in the night like this before.” In the past, instructors were assessed monthly by human evaluators, but now they are under AI scrutiny for hours daily. This AI system penalizes vague or uncertain responses and notes when students become unresponsive during discussions.
Teachers have voiced concerns that this situation generates anxiety, as they become more preoccupied with meeting the AI’s expectations rather than focusing on delivering effective lessons. One instructor remarked, “It’s very uncomfortable.”
Despite the discomfort expressed by staff, Multiverse representatives maintain that the AI supplements human oversight rather than replacing it, stating it merely highlights areas needing attention. A company spokesperson emphasized that human managers are responsible for final performance reviews and asserted that the introduction of AI was communicated to staff ahead of implementation. They also mentioned that instructors would have access to the AI’s collected data.
The organization was recently valued at £1.6 billion, with reports of annual losses amounting to £28 million on a turnover of £118 million. In past assessments, the UK’s education regulator, Ofsted, recognized Multiverse’s instructors as skilled and effective despite noting areas for improvement.
The new AI system evaluates instructors by spotting inconsistencies in their grasp of the teaching material, tracking verbal tics that may indicate confusion, and identifying pervasive patterns in their communication style. For example, if instructors show signs of confusion while explaining tasks, the AI registers this as evidence of unclear instructions, often leading to negative assessments.
Instructors fear that the AI’s monitoring might misinterpret genuine engagement with student inquiries as digressions, creating additional pressure. “It’s impossible not to feel mentally affected,” admitted one teacher. “I feel continuously scrutinized, focusing more on avoiding mistakes than celebrating what I accomplish in each session.”
John Chadfield, the Communication Workers Union’s national tech officer, commented on the invasive nature of such surveillance, suggesting the public would be appalled to learn about this level of monitoring in the workplace. He called for new regulatory measures to ensure responsible AI deployment, aiming to protect job opportunities and the quality of skilled work, rather than enriching a select few.
