Unions Rally to Protect Workers From AI Disruption

Since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022, generative AI has moved quickly into offices, call centers and creative industries. Labor groups see a dual risk: software can automate tasks and also influence hiring, scheduling, surveillance and dismissal without meaningful worker input. That makes AI a bargaining issue, not merely a technology policy debate. Unions are pressing for disclosure of workplace systems, human review of consequential decisions, retraining and a negotiated share of productivity gains, while generally stopping short of demanding a blanket ban.

The latest push is becoming international and political. The International Labour Organization convened its 114th International Labour Conference in Geneva on June 1-12, 2026, bringing together worker, employer and government delegates from 187 member states around human-centered AI and social dialogue. In the United States, the AFL-CIO’s 65 affiliates backed stronger AI rules at their June convention. A May 12 AFL-CIO survey found more than 90% of workers supported job and privacy safeguards; 94% wanted notice of AI monitoring, while just 7% said employers disclosed it. Neither organization announced a dedicated funding amount.