Studies focused on the artificial intelligence sector continue to increase day by day. Technology giant Microsoft and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) announced a new partnership agreement to discuss how artificial intelligence can predict workers’ needs and how it can be involved in development and application to address those needs.
What Are the Next Steps?
According to the AFL-CIO, the goals of the agreement include sharing information about artificial intelligence trends among worker leaders and workers, incorporating worker views and expertise in the development of artificial intelligence, and helping to shape public policies that support the technology skills and needs of workers playing critical roles.
Microsoft President Brad Smith explained that the agreement involves a collaborative effort with worker leaders to ensure that artificial intelligence benefits workers. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler saw Microsoft’s acceptance of neutrality and workers’ expertise as a sign that the era of artificial intelligence could promote productive partnerships between workers and employers. In 2022, Microsoft signed a similar agreement with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), recognized as a media union, focusing on organizing and collective bargaining rights of workers at Activision Blizzard.
Microsoft invested $13 billion in OpenAI, the nonprofit American AI firm that created ChatGPT, and owns 49% of the company’s shares, despite claiming no voting rights and no control over the company. Microsoft also continues to work in this area by developing a productive artificial intelligence platform called Azure, which benefits from OpenAI’s GPT products to expand its functionality.
Alarming Claims About Artificial Intelligence
Workers in different sectors continue to express their concerns about the potential impact of artificial intelligence on their jobs. During the summer, Hollywood actors in the entertainment industry took an important step by striking to protest the proposal of artificial intelligence by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The proposal defended scanning artists in the background, compensating them for just one day, and granting companies full ownership rights over scanning, images, and likenesses.
The emergence of productive artificial intelligence products is raising concerns about their potential to significantly affect the job market. In May, IBM announced that artificial intelligence could replace about 7,800 jobs at the company within five years. Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and xAI, went even further, claiming that artificial intelligence could completely eliminate the need for a contemporary workforce.
