Workers need more than notice about AI

Illinois has taken an important step by requiring employers to notify workers when artificial intelligence influences hiring, promotion, discipline, training or other employment decisions. But notice alone will not give suburban employees meaningful influence over how AI changes their jobs.

A new national report shows that union contracts increasingly include specific AI protections, such as consultation before deployment, limits on replacing workers, and rights to challenge automated decisions. Most workers lack union representation, so employers should voluntarily provide comparable channels for employee input.

Companies should tell workers which tasks AI will affect, invite frontline employees to test proposed systems, and publish clear rules for human review. They should also measure whether the technology improves quality and service rather than merely counting software use or cutting headcount.

This approach serves employers as well as workers. Employees understand where errors, exceptions and customer needs hide inside everyday workflows. Their participation helps companies identify risks before an automated mistake becomes a legal problem or public embarrassment.

Illinois law establishes a floor against discrimination and secrecy. Suburban employers should build above that floor. Before AI rewrites a job, the people doing that job deserve a practical voice in the redesign.

Gleb Tsipursky

Columbus, Ohio