Microsoft joins hands with unions to protect workers from the impact of AI

Workers are on the front lines of using, delivering and harnessing the power of technology every day, AFL-CIO chief Liz Shuler said at an event in Washington. The AFL-CIO is constantly learning how technology works and how it can negatively impact workers, so it makes sense to prepare and guard against those negative impacts on workers.

The AFL-CIO includes 60 labor unions representing 12.5 million workers in the United States.

Under the terms of the project, Microsoft will train labor leaders and workers on how AI works, as well as begin the process of making it easier for Microsoft employees to join a union.

The alliance between Microsoft and the AFL-CIO also works together to try to shape public policy in related areas.

The deal also includes a commitment by Microsoft to remain neutral on union membership.

Microsoft President Brad Smith said it's important that tech companies design AI with the needs of workers in mind, giving workers a voice and feedback that influences the direction of the technology.

Mr. Smith also asserted that the goal of AI is to increase worker productivity, reduce work fatigue, and then convert those benefits into higher living standards.

The alliance between Microsoft and the AFL-CIO comes as workers and governments around the world are worried about the potential impact of AI on jobs. There are concerns that human workers across a range of industries could be replaced by technology.

By joining forces with the AFL-CIO, Microsoft would differentiate itself from other tech giants that have taken a more hard-line approach to unionizing workers.