Legislative Alert: January 29, 2024

President's Message

Artificial Intelligence Development Must Include Labor Protections and Standards

In her Executive Budget proposal, Governor Hochul includes up to $275 million in state funds to incentivize the development of artificial intelligence (A.I.) technology in the state. As with any economic development proposal, the NYS AFL-CIO believes that state assistance should come with labor standards. We must ensure that developers adhere to basic public works labor standards and use PLAs on construction, and that we use Buy American on supply chain. Labor peace agreements should be implemented for operations and maintenance of A.I. research and development facilities.

The proliferation of A.I. and its uses in the labor relations process necessitates additional labor protections to ensure that A.I. is developed and utilized responsibly. Many positives can come from A.I., however we have already seen some of the negative consequences from the unregulated proliferation of A.I. including false and misleading information, deep fakes, and the impact of social media on children and teenagers. 

First and foremost, we must prevent the use of state funds to develop products that will lead to job loss. We must have full knowledge and disclosure about the intended uses of A.I. and its potential impact on jobs in those areas as it is being developed, and prior to its implementation in both private and government settings.

Further, many employers have been using A.I. to make employment-related decisions including the review of job applications and qualifications for hiring, the evaluation of work and determination of performance reviews, and in making work assignments. Employers that use A.I. for such purposes should be required to disclose the role of A.I. and to show that their algorithms make fair and bias-free decisions.

The state should ensure that A.I. systems have the strongest data protection and security systems available. Workers and the general public alike should know that any personal, financial, health, health insurance, or job performance and evaluation information is secure and used only for authorized purposes, and only with the employee’s consent.

Mario Cilento, President

Upcoming Meeting

LABOR LOBBYISTS MEETING 
Monday, January 29, 2024, 1:00 p.m. 
This meeting will be located at the Albany office of the NYS AFL-CIO, 
100 South Swan St. Albany, NY. Lunch will be served. 
This meeting is for labor representatives only. 
Senator Jessica Ramos, Chair of the Committee on Labor will be the guest speaker.

TAYLOR LAW & PENSION TASK FORCE MEETING 
Tuesday, January 30, 2024, 1:00 p.m. 
This meeting will be located at the Albany office of the NYS AFL-CIO, 
100 South Swan St. Albany, NY. Lunch will be served.