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Artificial Intelligence has quickly found its way into a lot of industries in recent months, and this has had the government worried about workers’ rights and protections. Now, in a recent development, Senator Bob Casey, D-Pa, has introduced two new bills aimed at safeguarding workers from workplace surveillance and AI-powered “robot bosses.”
The first bill, titled the “No Robot Bosses Act,” seeks to establish clear guidelines for employing automated systems, such as algorithms and machine learning tools, in employment-related decision-making. Additionally, the proposed legislation will also encourage employers to provide proper training to their workforce on the use of these systems and mandate transparency in their implementation. Moreover, to address concerns about AI going rogue, the bill would require companies to maintain human oversight of all AI decisions.
The second bill, known as the “Exploitative Workplace Surveillance and Technologies Task Force Act,” aims to create a separate government body responsible for examining workplace surveillance practices. Chaired by a representative from the Department of Labor, the body will include individuals from various government domains to assess the impact of workplace surveillance and automated decision systems on employee salaries, scheduling, organizing efforts, and marginalized populations in the workforce.
Reasoning behind the new bills
Senator Bob Casey stated that the primary rationale behind these bills is to limit the impact of AI and prevent the unchecked authority of “robot bosses” from making critical decisions that affect human lives and livelihoods. Additionally, Casey argues that without proper oversight, there is a risk of discriminatory practices, unfair disciplinary actions, and even unsafe working conditions. Although these scenarios may seem far-fetched today, given the rapid pace of AI development, they could become a reality in the near future.
“Systems and software, not humans, are increasingly making decisions on whom to interview for a job, where and when employees should work, and who gets promoted, disciplined, or even fired from their job,” a summary of the bill from Casey’s office explains.
Furthermore, the bill has not only garnered widespread support from fellow Democratic senators, such as Brian Schatz of Hawaii, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Cory Booker of New Jersey but also from major labor unions, including AFL-CIO and the Communications Workers of America, as well as organizations like the National Employment Law Project.
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