As professionals find new uses for AI tools, employment attorneys are urging HR professionals to be sure to deliver layoff news with human oversight.
Bradford Newman, an attorney with Eversheds Sutherland in Silicon Valley, Calif., said that given the rapid-fire adoption of AI, and how “most corporations are using AI to prepare drafts of nearly anything,” he expects some companies are already letting programs like ChatGPT help them craft layoff announcements.
Newman said that there will “be some very hard-learned lessons if AI is used incorrectly” given the potential privacy, compliance, and reputational risks that could stem from using AI alone.
Relying on AI solely in this process would create “a high probability something is going to go in a layoff notice that probably shouldn’t, or isn’t in compliance, which is why you need a human in the chain,” Newman said.
AI cannot be trusted alone to keep firms in compliance with the intricate quilt of local and national laws governing employment decisions, or to provide the appropriate level of sensitivity to those impacted, he added.
While it’s understandable that some leaders might feel compelled to run layoff language past AI, “it should not be responsible for communicating life-changing news,” according to Mary Kathryn King, senior attorney and human resources consultant at Engage PEO in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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