A bill that is set to be introduced in the Senate would require major companies and federal agencies to report artificial intelligence-related layoffs, hires, job displacements, retraining and other job effects to the Department of Labor (DOL).
The bill would also require the DOL to compile data on AI-related job effects and publish a report to Congress and the public, according to a press release issued Wednesday (Nov. 5) by the bill’s sponsors.
The sponsors, Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Mark Warner, D-Va., said in the release that they will introduce the AI-Related Job Impacts Clarity Act.
Organizations would be required to report, and the DOL would be required to publish, this data quarterly, per the bill.
“Artificial intelligence is already replacing American workers, and experts project AI could drive unemployment up to 10-20% in the next five years,” Hawley said in the release. “The American people need to have an accurate understanding of how AI is affecting our workforce, so we can ensure that AI works for the people, not the other way around.”
Warner said in the release: “Good policy starts with good data. This bipartisan legislation will finally give us a clear picture of AI’s impact on the workforce — what jobs are being eliminated, which workers are being retrained, and where new opportunities are emerging. Armed with this information, we can make sure AI drives opportunity instead of leaving workers behind.”
The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Generation AI: Why Gen Z Bets Big and Boomers Hold Back” found that among people who use generative AI, 33% are concerned that the technology might cause people to lose their jobs.
That concern is highest among Generation Z, with 38% of the gen AI users in that age group worried about the impact on employment. The report said Gen Z users hold or seek the kinds of entry-level jobs that the technology can most easily replace.
PYMNTS reported in September that there is a debate over the potential impact of AI on jobs. The forecasts range from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s statement that the technology could displace 70% of all jobs, to a report by economists, including former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, that said it is “likely too early to assess its full impacts.”
Source: https://www.pymnts.com/