AFGE President Everett Kelley has formed an AI Committee to study the impact of Artificial Intelligence on agencies’ missions and workforces.
The committee, established earlier this year, is chaired by District 5 National Vice President Tatishka Thomas and has representatives from different districts, agencies, locals, and councils.
The committee meets once a month to develop recommendations for how the union should approach AI, including what kind of contract language we should bargain for, what kind of legislation and policy we should support, and what kind of training AFGE members should receive on new technologies, among many other issues.
“The potential benefits and challenges presented by AI are enormous. It could touch nearly every aspect of our working lives,” Kelley said. “That’s why AFGE must stay ahead of the game and ensure workers are at the table as decisions get made about how the federal government incorporates AI into government work. Our AI committee's work will be integral to our union’s success on that front.”
The committee has sent out a survey for local and council presidents to get their feedback on some key issues around AI. We encourage all leaders to fill out that survey and return it to make sure their voice is represented in the recommendations.
AFGE members generally feel there are some potential benefits of artificial intelligence. It may, for example, help identify patterns, analyze data, draft documents, make processes more efficient, etc. But there are also concerns about whether it will displace jobs, how the technology might fail, and what those failures might mean to the reputation of the agency and employees. Another concern involves the potential for agencies to use AI to recreate the voices or likenesses of federal employees, such as broadcasters for federal media agencies.
“This committee is extremely important to ensure AFGE and its employees that we represent have a seat at the table with federal agencies that have already begun using AI in some aspects of automating processes,” said Thomas. “By being at the table and at the forefront, we can ensure that the impact is minimal to federal employees and the implementation of the technology is properly used for the improvement of the efficiency of federal agencies.”
Biden’s Executive Order on AI
President Biden last week issued an executive order establishing new standards for AI safety and security to guide how technologists develop AI, limit the risks and make the most of AI’s benefits.
The EO also addressed the aspect of labor, saying the use of AI shouldn’t undermine workers and their rights.
“The responsible development and use of AI require a commitment to supporting American workers. As AI creates new jobs and industries, all workers need a seat at the table, including through collective bargaining, to ensure that they benefit from these opportunities,” the president stated. “My Administration will seek to adapt job training and education to support a diverse workforce and help provide access to opportunities that AI creates.”
“In the workplace itself, AI should not be deployed in ways that undermine rights, worsen job quality, encourage undue worker surveillance, lessen market competition, introduce new health and safety risks, or cause harmful labor-force disruptions.”
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