The American Federation of Labor and Industry (AFL-CIO) and Microsoft (MSFT.O) announced on Monday that they had reached an agreement in which the American software giant will maintain a neutral stance on the activities of labor unions to urge workers to become members.
During this first-of-its-kind cooperation on artificial intelligence and the future of the workforce, the two parties will also collaborate on the future of artificial intelligence. This comes at a time when both business and labor are struggling to come to terms with the influence that technology will have.
Microsoft President Brad Smith indicated to Reuters that the “neutrality agreement provides a high level of commitment and clarity as to how we’ll work with the AFL-CIO and its affiliates if we have employees or even employees of suppliers who want to pursue the formation of a union.”
The American Federation of Labor and Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is the biggest federation of unions in the United States. It is comprised of sixty unions that collectively represent around 12.5 million people.
According to Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, Microsoft’s strategy contrasts sharply with that of other technology giants who have vehemently opposed unionization attempts. “Their positioning is that if workers want to organize, we shouldn’t stand in their way,” according to Shuler. “Every company basically fights us when workers want to organize.”
The workers of Activision Blizzard showed interest in forming a union as part of Microsoft’s acquisition of the firm. As a result, Microsoft had already committed to a labor neutrality agreement that was legally enforceable.
OpenAI, the company that makes ChatGPT, has a significant connection with Microsoft, and Microsoft has committed to investing more than ten billion dollars in the venture. It is possible that the increasing popularity of so-called generative artificial intelligence, which employs data to generate fresh material such as ChatGPT’s language that sounds human, might reshape human civilization and render many vocations obsolete.
According to Smith, technology companies need to create artificial intelligence (AI) “with the needs of workers in mind and for workers to have a voice and provide feedback that influences the direction this technology takes.”
The American Federation of Labor and Industries (AFL-CIO) and the union have agreed to collaborate on formulating public policy to guarantee that workers possess the necessary skills “as the country moves into the future.”
Shuler and Smith will hold a joint event on Monday to discuss artificial intelligence and work. Smith stated that artificial intelligence aims to “boost the productivity of workers, reduce the drudgery in jobs,” and transform the efficiency gains achieved into more excellent living standards.
Shuler stated that workers want to have a say in the deployment of artificial intelligence, and they want to know, “Do I have a future pathway if indeed my job gets downgraded?”
