White House Issues AI Principles

The White House issued eight principles for protecting workers from the risks of artificial intelligence on May 16, a day after the U.S. Senate unveiled a road map on AI and its hopes for potential legislation.

We’ve gathered articles on the news from SHRM Online and other outlets.

Principles from the Biden Administration

Under President Joe Biden’s landmark executive order, the following principles, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), apply to the development and deployment of AI systems in the workplace:

• Centering worker empowerment. Workers and their representatives, especially those from underserved communities, should be informed of and have genuine input in the design, development, testing, training, use, and oversight of AI systems.
• Ethically developing AI. AI systems should be designed, developed, and trained in a way that protects workers.
• Establishing AI governance and human oversight. Organizations should have clear governance systems, procedures, human oversight, and evaluation processes for AI systems.
• Ensuring transparency in AI use. Employers should be transparent with workers and job seekers about the AI systems that are being used.
• Protecting labor and employment rights. AI systems should not violate or undermine workers’ right to organize, health and safety rights, wage and hour rights, or anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation protections.
• Using AI to enable workers. AI systems should assist, complement, and enable workers and improve job quality.
• Supporting workers impacted by AI. Employers should support or upskill workers during job transitions related to AI.
• Ensuring responsible use of worker data. Workers’ data collected, used, or created by AI systems should be limited in scope and location, used only to support legitimate business aims, and protected and handled responsibly.

The principles are not intended to be an exhaustive list but instead a guiding framework for businesses. AI developers and employers should review and customize the best practices based on their own context and with input from their workers, the White House said.

“Workers must be at the heart of our nation’s approach to AI technology development and use,” said DOL Acting Secretary Julie Su. “These principles announced today reflect the Biden-Harris administration’s belief that, in addition to complying with existing laws, artificial intelligence should also enhance the quality of work and life for all workers. As employers and developers implement these principles, we are determined to create a future where technology serves the needs of people above all.”

(The White House fact sheet and DOL press release)

​Executive Order

On Oct. 30, 2023, Biden signed a first-of-its-kind executive order on the development of AI. The order looked to shape the evolution of the powerful technology in a way that would maximize its potential but limit its risks. The order required the tech industry to develop safety and security standards, introduced new consumer and worker protections, and assigned federal agencies a to-do list to oversee the rapidly progressing technology.

(SHRM Online)

Senate Road Map

A bipartisan group of Senate leaders unveiled a long-awaited AI road map on May 15, laying out their hopes for potential legislation that would govern the use of AI across the U.S. and ensure the U.S. stays on the front lines of AI innovation. The road map covers several key workplace-related proposals, but what’s not included in the road map is almost as important—meaning there may be a great deal of AI governance left to states and localities.

(Fisher Phillips)

New York City AI Restrictions Largely Ignored

New York City’s “AI Bias Law” held a lot of promise for advocates of regulating automated and artificial intelligence tools in hiring. However, after the law’s enforcement date, it appears that employers are largely ignoring it.

(SHRM Online)

Report Shows Many Workers Hide AI Use

A recent report found that 3 out of 4 knowledge workers use AI for work purposes—but more than half are hiding it from their leaders because they fear it makes them look replaceable. A May 8 report from LinkedIn and Microsoft revealed that employers most likely have massive untapped potential and need help unlocking a whole next level of productivity, efficiency, and creativity. 

(Fisher Phillips)