Explore the benefits and risks of AI on workers, the importance of worker involvement in AI, and the potential impact of AI on organized labor. Discuss the need for policies to protect workers from job displacement and the role of government intervention in supporting workers.
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Quick takeaways
AI development should prioritize incorporating worker perspectives to address bias and displacement concerns.
Labor unions play a crucial role in advocating for worker-centric policies and ensuring workers have a say in AI development.
Deep dives
Uncertainty for American workers in the face of AI
The rise of artificial intelligence is creating new uncertainties for American workers, who are experiencing wage gains, low unemployment rates, and historic collective bargaining agreements. However, opinion polls reveal that many Americans are unsure about how AI will impact their jobs, with some expressing fear of becoming obsolete. While AI has the potential to improve medical diagnoses, increase productivity, and make work less burdensome, there are also concerns about exacerbating bias, eroding job quality, and displacing workers. The essay highlights examples such as AI's potential to replicate bias in hiring decisions and the risks of algorithmic management tools. It emphasizes President Biden's commitment to safe and responsible AI development and the importance of incorporating worker perspectives in AI design and deployment.
The role of labor unions and collective bargaining agreements
The essay discusses the vital role of labor unions in addressing AI's impact on workers and promoting worker-centric policies. It cites examples of collective bargaining agreements, such as the agreement among screenwriters to ensure writers retain credits and prevent AI use in scriptwriting. It also mentions the negotiation by rail workers to have oversight of AI-enabled technologies and culinary workers securing advanced notice for new technologies in the workplace. The essay emphasizes the need for unions and industry to establish mechanisms to incorporate workers' perspectives in AI development, provide digital literacy training, and advocate collectively for worker-centric policies. Microsoft's partnership with the AFL-CIO is highlighted as a positive step in this direction.
Government commitments and initiatives
The Biden administration is committed to protecting and supporting workers in an AI-powered economy. The Department of Labor is embedding worker protections in grant program rules and promoting high-quality jobs and the right to organize through the Good Jobs Initiative. The department is also developing principles for responsible worker-centric AI use, which include transparency, pre-deployment testing, human review, and privacy-enhancing technologies. The National Science Foundation is investing in privacy-preserving research, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has released guidance to ensure AI use aligns with civil rights laws. The administration is preparing policy recommendations to address potential AI-related job displacement and plans to support inclusive training programs for workers. The essay emphasizes the need to reinvest AI gains in workers to achieve stronger economic growth.
A reading and discussion of an essay by one of Biden's most senior economic advisors. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/op-ed-biden-admin-says-rules-must-ensure-ai-boom-does-right-by-workers-192912242.html
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