Unions bash AI as opposition grows: "We believe in human beings"
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Union leaders are escalating their anti-AI rhetoric, portraying the industry's leaders as profit-hungry "oligarchs" eager to replace humans.
Why it matters: The contours of the emerging AI economy are still shapable — and the labor movement is eager to influence what it looks like.
Friction point: Leaders of many of the country's biggest unions gathered Thursday alongside U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to blast "AI oligarchs" and call for an equitable rollout that puts workers in the driver's seat.
- "The richest people on Earth — Mr. Musk, Mr. Zuckerberg, Mr. Bezos, Mr. Ellison and others — what they want to do is replace human workers," Sanders said at a press conference. "Some of us are old-fashioned, and we believe in human beings."
"We are here to sound the alarms on AI," said Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO. "This race that everybody seems to think we're in to advance AI at all costs — with no guardrails or protections for people — is reckless and dangerous."
- "Human beings have to come first in this equation, not an afterthought," UAW president Shawn Fain said, arguing that "a handful of billionaires want all the profits" but the "working class has to get our fair share."
The big picture: Calls to oppose AI and robotics have been growing in labor circles.
- It's particularly acute with robotaxis, which could replace trucking jobs and other professional drivers.
- Teamsters president Sean O'Brien — a past Sanders supporter who has recently grown closer to President Trump — has called for the federal government to require a safety driver in robotaxis.
- "We need the Congress, we need this administration to actually put people first, to make sure that the human being is in charge of society — not a robot and not a chatbot," American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten said Thursday.
The intrigue: A sense of AI's inevitability is still evident in the pro-labor rhetoric.
- While bashing self-driving car developers like Musk, Sanders acknowledged where the technology seems to be heading: "What experts tell us, if there is not a counter reaction, it is very likely that millions and millions of truck drivers, bus drivers, taxi cab drivers will lose their jobs within the next decade," he said.
- And there may be some common ground between AI leaders and worker advocates. The UAW's Fain noted that he has been pressing for a 32-hour work week — something that certain AI advocates have suggested could become a reality.
Yes, but: Sanders is bringing together labor leaders to pressure Congress to place a moratorium on AI data centers while policymakers can assess their impact.
- "How the hell do you go forward and throw millions of people out on the street without planning what's going to happen?" Sanders said Thursday.
The bottom line: The fight over AI is just beginning.
