A bipartisan pair of lawmakers is pressing President Donald Trump to embed worker protections into upcoming artificial intelligence (AI) policy and procurement decisions, citing risks to labor rights and workforce stability as AI adoption accelerates.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., sent their letter to Trump on Monday, pointing to the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations’ (AFL-CIO) AI principles as a framework to guide the development of those directives.
“Making AI benefit American workers is not only a matter of fairness, but is essential to U.S. global competitiveness, economic leadership, and long-term security,” wrote the lawmakers. “Artificial intelligence can support innovation, new industries, and expanded opportunity, but its impact will ultimately be determined by the working people whose skill and judgment put those tools to use.”
“That promise will only be realized if AI is developed and deployed with meaningful worker involvement and input,” they continued, adding, “This is not a partisan issue, but a shared responsibility.”
AFL-CIO is the nation’s largest voluntary federation of labor unions. In October, the federation outlined a set of principles that aim to position American workers for negotiations on how AI is adopted and impacts the workforce, AFL-CIO said.
“With workers having a real voice in technology, AI strengthens, rather than weakens, democratic institutions, creating an economy that benefits everyone and ensuring public services are not undermined by improper uses of AI. AI should be about benefiting everyone, not just tech billionaires and corporate shareholders,” AFL-CIO stated.
The priorities AFL-CIO laid out include:
- Strengthen labor rights and expand opportunities for collective bargaining
- Advance guardrails against harmful uses of AI in the workplace
- Support and promote copyright and intellectual property protections
- Develop a worker-centered workforce development and training system
- Institutionalize worker voice within AI research and development
- Require transparency and accountability in AI applications
- Model best practices for AI use through government procurement
- Protect workers’ civil rights and uphold democratic integrity
Fitzpatrick and Kelly said that continued use of AI should support American workers rather than putting them at risk. “Without safeguards, automated systems can displace workers or concentrate decision-making power in ways that diminish the voice of workers. These principles are not barriers to progress – they are the foundation of it,” they wrote.
“America’s greatest technological breakthroughs have always paired bold vision with respect for the people whose skill and creativity make innovation possible,” the lawmakers added.
Specifically, the lawmakers’ letter called for expanded training and input for workers, and clear avenues for recourse when automated tools affect employment decisions. It also emphasized keeping human judgment central and ensuring AI improves job quality without undermining privacy or worker voice.
Industry members and lawmakers have made recent pushes for Congress and the Trump administration to ensure workers’ protections as AI use becomes widespread. In October, members of industry told Congress that protections would need to come sooner rather than later.
Last month, Kelly said his push to implement worker-centric protections is to avoid “20 years from now, a tremendous amount of regret that we could have done something about the challenges, and we just failed to act.”