Microsoft in pact with U.S. labor organization to foster worker-focused AI development
The partnership will prioritize workers’ rights and incorporate input from labor leaders in technology development.
Tech giant Microsoft and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) have announced a new partnership to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) can anticipate the needs of workers and include their voices in its development and implementation.
According to the AFL-CIO, the agreement’s goals include information sharing among labor leaders and workers on AI trends, incorporating worker perspectives and expertise in the development of AI, and helping shape public policy that supports the technology skills and needs of frontline workers.
Microsoft president Brad Smith said the agreement involves a collaborative effort with labor leaders to ensure AI benefits workers. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler sees Microsoft’s neutrality framework and acknowledgment of workers’ expertise as a signal that the AI era can foster productive labor-management partnerships.
