Exclusive: Advisers push for labor protections in Trump AI strategy
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
A group that advises administration officials on trade and labor policy is pushing the Trump administration to prioritize U.S. workers in its approach to remain competitive in AI.
Why it matters: The Labor Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations and Trade Policy this week sent a letter to Bureau of Industry and Security Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler about the White House's decision to scrap the AI diffusion rule.
- That Biden-era framework was designed to thwart China's access to the most advanced tech used for AI development, and this administration wants its own approach.
"AI has already raised issues about surveillance in the workplace, algorithmic bias in hiring, content theft and unauthorized digital replication of individuals' voices and likenesses, displacement of workers and many other concerns," advisory committee staff chair Michael Wessel wrote in the July 8 letter.
- Wessel is the liaison for the United Steelworkers union, which has benefited from Trump's tariffs on steel imports, to the labor advisory committee.
- "We want to ensure that, as the Department of Commerce proceeds with its plan to replace the AI Diffusion Framework, that maximum attention is given to keeping companies from outsourcing our advantage in AI infrastructure to foreign jurisdictions," Wessel added.
Between the lines: The advisory committee's goals are likely to land well with the Trump administration, which wants to onshore production.
- Opponents of sectoral tariffs say onshoring and boosting domestic production would take too long to meet urgent demands.
What we're watching: Replacements for the AI diffusion rule could be part of the White House's AI action plan, which is due by July 22.
