On October 6th, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders published The Big Tech Oligarchs’ War Against Workers, a study completed by asking ChatGPT to estimate displacement via catalogued job descriptions, projecting nearly 100 million jobs lost to AI and automation over the next decade. However, views about the likely impact of AI on employment run the gamut: corporate leaders predict “white collar bloodbaths”, while researchers question whether AI poses short-term job-loss risk. Debates and anxiety about AI’s potential disruption of labor markets continue to dominate headlines and decision-makers’ attention.
Job loss from automation, however, is not a new concern. Since the Industrial Revolution, automation has prompted clashes over workers’ protections, shifting job opportunities, and who benefits from innovation. Addressing these questions requires modernizing employment regulations. New York recently updated its state WARN Act regulations to require disclosure when AI automation causes mass layoffs. This is the first state action to require transparency about terminations spurred by AI.
While these notices are a starting point, policymakers must add onto these programs and ensure AI benefits are not solely at a cost to workers. Beyond notification, trade-related economic displacement policy, so-called “trade adjustment assistance,” provides a historical analogue and starting point for bolder support in response to the AI...
The lawyer representing former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore alleged in court filings that accusations against Moore were part of a “litigation strategy designed to villainize Mr. Moore” ...