Gig workers use ChatGPT to fight getting kicked off Uber and Instacart

Gig workers who get kicked off Uber and Instacart are using AI chatbots to fight back. One Uber driver in Tennessee says he emailed a letter written with ChatGPT and could use his account again about a week later. Business Insider reports that more workers are trying the same thing, because they have few other options.

What is happening

Apps like Uber and Instacart often remove drivers and delivery workers. Sometimes the reason is safety or fraud. Other times, workers say, the company does not fully explain why.

To get back on, or to reach some other settlement, a worker usually has to contact the company and start arbitration. That is a private process that replaces a court case. It can be long, and it means reading the contracts that bind the worker.

One deactivated Instacart worker told Business Insider he uses ChatGPT to challenge the company's claim that he did not follow the correct route on an order. He has had it write evidence reports and estimate the wages he has lost since he was removed earlier this year. The chatbot also told him to hold off on his next reply while he looks for a lawyer.

The driver who got back on

The Tennessee driver said Uber deactivated him without a clear explanation. After going back and forth with chatbots, he had a letter that cited Uber's driver contract and asked to begin arbitration. The AI also suggested emailing Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, not only the generic arbitration address. "I followed AI, and I guess it worked," he said.

Why workers turn to AI

Uber drivers and Instacart shoppers are independent contractors, so companies usually have wide freedom to end the relationship. Lawyers are often reluctant to take these cases because of the arbitration rules in the companies' terms. That leaves many workers on their own.

Robert Bruno, a labor professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said AI still helps. Workers are not shut out of defending themselves just because they cannot afford a good labor attorney. But he said a summary of evidence is only one part. A worker must also make a persuasive case, tailored to the arbitrator, and he does not think a chatbot can simply produce that.

Risks and what the companies say

Chatbots sound confident and can produce official-looking documents quickly. Errors in AI-written arguments can hurt a person's credibility in a legal setting.

Neither company commented directly on workers using AI. Uber said it uses "data and facts" to judge claims "regardless of how an appeal is submitted." Instacart said it does not "take deactivation lightly" and lets workers appeal. Both say a real person reviews final decisions. They have not said what role AI plays in the first decision to deactivate.

What to do

• Use AI to draft an appeal, then check every fact, date and contract reference yourself.
• Keep your own records, such as messages, routes and earnings.
• Read what your app's terms say about arbitration before you send anything.
• Ask about legal help, including free help, if the case is serious.