Why are food delivery riders in Edinburgh demanding transparency from platforms like Deliveroo and Uber Eats?

Riders in Edinburgh are demanding transparency because they attribute falling pay and deteriorating working conditions to the opaque, AI-driven algorithms used by platforms like Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat—algorithms that determine job allocation and pay without explanation, leaving workers 'working in the dark' with no insight into how decisions affecting their livelihoods are made.

What role does the Workers’ Observatory play in addressing algorithmic opacity in the gig economy?

The Workers’ Observatory—a charity co-founded by gig economy workers and academics from St Andrews and Edinburgh universities—aims to uncover concealed aspects of platform work, particularly how algorithms set pay through practices like dynamic pricing; it conducts experiments to monitor algorithmic pay variability and has secured decade-long research funding to support this mission of demystifying the 'black box'.

Food Delivery Riders Call on Platforms to Open Up AI 'Black Box' Over Pay Cuts

Sep 5, 2026

Food delivery riders in Edinburgh are urging platforms like Deliveroo and Uber to disclose AI algorithms determining pay, citing wage declines and worsening conditions linked to increased automation.

theguardian

2026-09-05

Food Delivery Riders Call on Platforms to Open Up AI 'Black Box' Over Pay Cuts

Food Delivery Riders Call on Platforms to Open Up AI 'Black Box' Over Pay Cuts

FAQ