Microsoft Announces New AI Alliance With AFL-CIO Union Federation

Microsoft announced today a new AI alliance with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization (AFL-CIO), the largest federation of unions in the United States. The new tech-labor partnership with the organization that represents about 12.5 million workers aims to recognize the essential role that workers will play in the development and democratization of AI technology.

The software giant emphasized today that this partnership is “the first of its kind” and that it should help to create public policy that supports the technology needs of workers. This year, Microsoft kickstarted a massive effort to integrate technology from ChatGPT developer OpenAI into all of its products, and this legitimately raises some questions about the future of work. According to a recent poll by the AFL-CIO, 70% of workers worry about being replaced by AI.

In practice, Microsoft says that it will provide learning sessions about AI to labor leaders and workers during the winter of 2024. The company also plans to hold “deep-dive” workshops between 2024 and 2026 to prepare students for specific careers and roles.

Starting this winter, Microsoft will also be holding labor summits with select unions and workers. There, labor leaders and workers will be able to share their direct feedback and concerns with AI product developers, researchers, and business leaders at Microsoft.

“By working directly with labor leaders, we can help ensure that AI serves the country’s workers,” said Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft. “This groundbreaking partnership honors the rights of workers, learns from the advice of labor leaders as we develop technology, and helps us provide people with the skills that will become essential in a new AI era.”