Exclusive: White House unveils principles for AI in the workplace
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
The White House on Wednesday released a set of principles for developing and using AI systems in the workplace, per an announcement shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: This is the latest announcement stemming from President Biden's expansive AI executive order, which called on the Department of Labor to establish steps and best practices to protect workers from AI.
- These workplace principles are meant to serve as "a guiding framework" for businesses and industries, according to the White House.
- The Biden administration also announced that Microsoft and Indeed have committed to adopting these principles.
What's inside: The principles include:
- Involving employees in the design, development and oversight of AI systems for use in the workplace.
- "Ethically developing AI," in what the White House announcement describes only as "a way that protects workers."
- Protecting labor and employment rights, for instance by not permitting AI systems to violate or undermine people's right to organize.
The principles also call on workplaces to help people gain skills during job transitions related to AI and ensure that anyone's data collected, used or created by AI systems be "protected and handled responsibly."
What we're watching: Lawmakers are worried about AI's impact on their constituents' jobs and livelihoods, with Sen. Richard Blumenthal calling that his "biggest nightmare, in the long term."
