Microsoft workers will have more say-so when it comes to the company’s development of artificial intelligence.
The tech company has partnered with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) to create a framework that allows labor leaders and workers to “share experiential insights, concerns, and feedback” regarding the company’s development and implementation of AI.
“This framework confirms a joint commitment to respect the right of employees to form or join unions, to develop positive and cooperative labor-management relationships, and to negotiate collective bargaining agreements that will support workers in an era of rapid technological change,” Microsoft said in a news release on Monday.
The “first-of-its-kind” partnership will deliver on three goals: sharing in-depth information with labor leaders and workers on AI technology trends, incorporating worker perspectives and expertise in the development of AI technology, and helping shape public policy that supports the technology skills and needs of frontline workers.
“By working directly with labor leaders, we can help ensure that AI serves the country’s workers,” said Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft. “This groundbreaking partnership honors the rights of workers, learns from the advice of labor leaders as we develop technology, and helps us provide people with the skills that will become essential in a new AI era.”
The collaboration between labor leaders and workers is set to begin this winter while Microsoft’s learning sessions, which the company’s AI experts will facilitate, are slated to begin in the winter of next year, according to the news release.
“This partnership reflects a recognition of the critical role workers play in the development, deployment, and regulation of AI and related technologies,” AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler said in a statement.
“The labor movement looks forward to partnering with Microsoft to expand workers’ role in the creation of worker-centered design, workforce training, and trustworthy AI practices. Microsoft’s neutrality framework and embrace of workers’ expertise signals that this new era of AI can also catalyze a new era of productive labor-management partnerships,” Shuler added.
