The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued guidelines for employers on principles and best practices for artificial intelligence (AI) and employer well-being. These guidelines build on the Biden administration's 2023 executive order on AI, which stressed the need to ensure that AI supports and provides worker opportunities rather than harms and expands inequalities. The Partnership on AI, which consists of various tech companies and nonprofit organizations such as Google and Microsoft, has endorsed the DOL's AI guidelines.
These guidelines aim to support collective bargaining rights for employees, ensure that employees are aware of how employers use AI in the workplace, and protect workers' rights to data privacy. At the same time, the guidelines encourage employers to support workers whose positions have been displaced by AI.
The guidelines espouse eight main principles, as follows:
- Center worker empowerment;
- Develop AI ethically;
- Establish AI governance and human oversight;
- Ensure transparency in AI use;
- Protect labor/employment rights;
- Use AI to enable workers;
- Support workers impacted by AI; and
- Ensure responsible use of worker data.
According to the DOL, the guidelines are not meant to be the only practices and principles that employers may adopt. Employers should tailor practices that meet their individual needs and best serve their employers.
The guidelines also point out that while AI can revolutionize some dull or repetitive worker tasks, it can potentially cause unemployment. As a result, workers may need new skills and training as they take on new roles and learn to oversee AI-driven work.
Other dangers can exist as workplaces increasingly integrate AI. For instance, AI could insert bias and discrimination into major workplace decisions, such as hiring, without transparency and human review. As a result, employers must regulate the use of AI in the workplace to prevent these dangers from occurring, which can be harmful to workers and the workplace.
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