Congress must take a more active role in regulating the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace, business officials told a Senate panel debating how to harness the new technology.
“I’m anti-regulation by DNA, but this is an area where I think the federal government ought to act responsibly and prudently,” Brad Newman, a Baker McKenzie partner who leads the firm’s AI practice, told a Senate panel Tuesday. He urged Congress to set rules on the technology based on the level of risk to Americans, echoing a widespread plea from industry and advocacy groups.
Newman called for federal funding for workforce training and programs to help those displaced by AI. “There will be dislocation on a different level than we’ve seen before,” he said. Fewer people will be needed needed to staff law firms as a result of AI automation, he predicted. “Maybe it’s a good thing,” he said, “but there are going to be less lawyers.”
States and local governments have begun to legislate on the use of AI for hiring and employment decisions, which Newman said is creating a patchwork of laws that lack uniformity, create confusion, and could stifle innovation. New York City passed a law this summer that requires employers to conduct an independent audit review for bias in their automated hiring software.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Monday that establishes standards for security and privacy protections for AI tools. Lawmakers since spring have been studying up as they prepare to craft regulations for the emerging technology that’s poised to transform the world. They’re meeting with hundreds of industry, government, and civil society officials and holding more than a dozen hearings on AI issues ranging from copyright to national security and innovation.
Some have expressed reservations about one-size-fits-all regulations, raising the risk of stifling innovation. “I’m very concerned that we don’t smother it. I think that we could do that easily — generally we over-regulate here,” said Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.). “We’ve got to err on the side of letting it breathe, letting it show what it can do, but also take into consideration what the people that know the most about it are giving us as a admonition to be careful with it.”
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), chair of the employment and workplace safety subcommittee, sought to temper fears and underscore reasons for optimism. “Many people think of movies where AI replaces humanity,” Hickenlooper said. “The reality in many cases will be that AI will work hand in hand with the with the workforce.” Centering workers as AI is incorporated into daily life and equipping them with the necessary training and education to adapt to the changing environment is crucial, he said.
Those sentiments were echoed by Accenture Managing Director of Talent and Organization Mary Kate Morley Ryan, who argued that AI will enhance workers, helping them do their jobs better, rather than replace them.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, leading the upper chamber’s charge on AI, wants to craft a regulatory response that mitigates AI’s risks, including job displacement and discrimination, while promoting its potential to spur advancements across industries, including health care and education. The top New York Democrat on Wednesday is hosting two forums featuring business and labor leaders to talk regulation, part of the series of closed Senate discussions on AI to supplement the legislative process. He predicts that bipartisan legislation is at least months away.
Author: Oma Seddiq, Jo Constantz and Diego Areas Munhoz
