AFL-CIO: Trump’s Big Tech Power Grab Is Dangerous, Unpopular and Illegal

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler released the following statement in response to the Trump administration announcing an executive order (EO) that attempts to upend state artificial intelligence (AI) safety laws:

President Trump’s unlawful executive order is nothing more than a brazen effort to upend AI safety and give tech billionaires unchecked power over working people’s jobs, rights and freedoms. The EO attempts to intimidate states by threatening their federal funding and infringing on their legal right to enact commonsense protections that elected leaders on both sides of the aisle support. Unregulated AI would further empower corporations to spy on us, steal our jobs and data, and even decide what medical care we get. Eighty percent of Americans want AI safety rules in place, yet Trump would rather reward the tech CEOs who are making billions off the backs of working people. We fully support states asserting their right to immediately challenge this illegal, dangerous order in court. 

Contact: Prerna Jagadeesh, 202-637-5018