Two New US Bills to Regulate ‘Intrusive’ AI in the Workforce

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Last week Senator Bob Casey introduced two new bills meant to protect workers from intrusive workplace surveillance and so-called robot bosses, this according to NBC News. The bills are called the “No Robot Bosses Act” and the “Exploitative Workplace Surveillance and Technologies Task Force Act”.

When asked about this new regulation, Casey responded- “I think generally everyone around here is keenly focused on providing a strategy to confront what can only be described as an awesome challenge for the country.”

According to Interesting Engineering, the first of the two bills is the “No Robot Bosses Act” and it is meant to stop employers from only relying on automated systems for hiring decisions.

A summary of the bill states- “Systems and software, not humans, are increasingly making decisions on whom to interview for a job, where and when employees should work, and who gets promoted, disciplined, or even fired from their job… Without oversight and safeguards, these ‘robot bosses’ increase the risks of discrimination, unfair disciplinary actions, and dangerous working conditions.”

The second bill is the “Exploitative Workplace Surveillance and Technologies Task Force Act” and it is meant to create a government body that will oversee workplace surveillance and submit reports to Congress.

Many politicians have expressed their concern regarding the rise of AI in the workforce and beyond and have taken steps to mitigate any potential negative effects of the technology.

Another approach can be seen with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who has been attempting to educate members of Congress about AI but advised against too much regulation that could stifle innovation and investment in the field.

McCarthy told reporters last week- “I do not want to see the government create an agency to approve whether someone can build upon AI. I’ve watched what the European Union has done that has actually, their guidelines have taken capital away and people walking away from Europe and investing in AI.”

“I want to see an ability to foster AI here in America but also at the same time protect us from any fears that we may have,” he concluded.

This information was provided by Interesting Engineering.