Employees at Multiverse, the UK-based technology training company co-founded by Euan Blair, have raised concerns about significant stress linked to the introduction of an AI-driven system used to monitor their teaching performance. The company, valued at approximately £1.6 billion, provides apprenticeship training in digital and AI skills to public and private sector workers across the UK, including those in the NHS, local government, and universities. The training is primarily funded through the government’s apprenticeship levy.
Teachers delivering online sessions reported that transcripts of their lessons are now analyzed by AI models designed to score their performance and alert human managers to potential issues. The system identifies a range of behaviors, including response times to technical disruptions, the use of filler phrases like “kind of,” and teaching patterns that suggest a lack of mastery of the material. The AI assigns a “risk status” to instructors, generates a confidence score, and produces written comments summarizing their activity for managerial review.
Staff described the new AI monitoring as “remorseless” and “unnerving,” with several reporting increased anxiety, insomnia, and even the need for therapy. Previously, instructors were observed monthly by human managers, whereas the AI now effectively watches lesson transcripts in near real-time for several hours daily. Teachers expressed frustration that the system penalizes vague or uncertain answers and prolonged one-on-one exchanges that shift focus from the group, leading to a heightened sense of constant surveillance.
“This is inducing stress because you consistently have to be cautious,” one anonymous instructor said. “Your attention is no longer delivering [the lesson] and listening to the learner [but] ‘am I saying the right thing so the AI doesn’t mark me down for something stupid that I’ve mistakenly said’.” Another described the experience as “very uncomfortable.”
Multiverse stated that the AI does not replace human judgment but is intended to “direct human time to where it’s needed most” by highlighting areas for improvement. A company spokesperson emphasized that only human managers write performance reviews and that instructors have access to the data the AI collects. The spokesperson added that the system was introduced with prior communication and designed to enhance learners’ experiences by providing improved feedback and development advice to teachers.
The AI’s monitoring includes counting “verbal tics” such as filler and hedging words to assess whether instructors have sufficiently internalized the teaching content. The system is calibrated to flag patterns of pervasive repetition rather than isolated instances. However, some teachers reported being reprimanded for perceived “digressions” when they were actually responding to student questions.
Earlier this year, Ofsted, the UK education inspectorate, found Multiverse fell short of expected standards in several areas but noted that its instructors were “skilled, effective teachers.”
The concerns at Multiverse reflect a broader debate over the use of AI in workplace surveillance. Research from the Communication Workers Union’s United Tech and Allied Workers branch suggests AI monitoring can undermine worker satisfaction and confidence, sometimes intensifying job pressures rather than alleviating them. John Chadiff, the CWU’s national technology officer, said the public would be alarmed to learn of the extent of intrusive AI surveillance imposed on employees.