CWA member briefs policymakers on artificial intelligence at work

President Mike Horace of NABET-CWA Local 54412 briefed policymakers and movement leaders on alarming predatory AI practices in the broadcast news industry. These practices, such as personal services contracts that enable employers to digitize the voice and likeness of on-air personnel, are a grave threat to the rights and uniqueness of workers.

“The employer has the right to your voice, your likeness, your writing style—all of those things that make us each human and unique,” Horace explained. “Essentially, this would allow employers to digitize an on-air personality, fire that person, and yet keep them on air for years, presenting the news live via AI every single night.”

Horace spoke at a forum hosted by the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center in partnership with the Economic Policy Institute. He was joined by CWA research economist Dan Reynolds, who shared a CWA study of the increased stress that AI tools place on call center workers who contend with increased surveillance on the job. Reynolds drew upon the experience of CWA members from diverse industries to show that when AI systems are used to replace or control the work, the mistakes made by these systems negatively impact their jobs and their ability to serve customers.

CWA, a leading voice for regulating AI in the workplace, has taken significant steps to address this issue. CWA established an Advisory Committee on Artificial Intelligence, empowering its members to shape the union's bargaining and policy priorities. Moreover, CWA successfully negotiated groundbreaking agreements with Microsoft and news organizations, placing limitations on artificial intelligence in the workplace through union contracts.

Watch the full video of the forum here.

Links:

CWA members brief policymakers on artificial intelligence at work (CWA, Feb. 22, 2024)

2.15.24 Protecting Workers in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (CPC Center, Feb. 15, 2024)

CWA Shapes the Future of AI at Work with New Principles for Bargaining & Policy (CWA, Dec 7, 2023)