Employers should include workers in AI plans, DOL says

Employers should implement artificial intelligence technologies transparently and with the “genuine input” of workers and their representatives, the U.S. Department of Labor said in a guidance document published Thursday.

DOL included these items in a set of eight “AI Principles for Developers and Employers.” The agency said the guidance would create a road map for balancing AI’s potential benefits for businesses and workers while protecting workers from potential harm.

DOL specifically recommended that AI be designed, developed and trained in a way that protects workers and that employers have “clear governance systems, procedures, human oversight, and evaluation processes” for workplace AI. The agency also cautioned that AI should not violate workers’ rights, including the right to organize, and that any data collected, used or created by AI systems be limited in scope and location.