A new bill in the Michigan House of Representatives would regulate companies’ use of artificial intelligence to monitor their employees.
AI companies are offering products to record workers’ computer screens, track their mouse and keyboard movements, and see when they take breaks.
Supporters say the legislation would require employees to be notified when they’re being tracked and detail what that tracking would involve. They say it would also limit some data gathering.
State Representative Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing) sponsors the bill. She said AI tools can become far too invasive when misused.
“We want to work with small businesses, large businesses, anyone who might be thinking about using these techniques, just to make sure that they’re being used properly, that they’re being used effectively, that they’re not being used unethically,” Tsernoglou said during a press conference Monday.
Companies that offer employee monitoring software say their products can make employees more productive and reduce wasted time on the job. On its website, the company KeepActive promotes the disciplinary benefit of AI-based employee monitoring.
“The mere fact of implementing software for monitoring employees helps keep them all in check. Being aware that the actual results of their work are constantly being tracked and that their manager can see a thorough picture of their workday at any time, your team starts to perform better,” the website reads.
For Tsernoglou and other supporters, the threat of discipline from AI monitoring alone is a point of concern. At the press conference, she and other speakers mentioned how AI-generated productivity reports can have harmful consequences for employees.
Michigan Nurses Association President Jeff Breslin said he’s seen AI used to second-guess healthcare decisions
“There needs to be guardrails around it. Because, to just open the door, there’s a lot of bad, bad things that could happen with that. And it’s not just for the workers, it’s for the people that we take care of, it’s for the people that we do business for,” Breslin said.
Each of the bill’s supporters Monday said they’re not against the use of AI in the workplace in general, and believe it can also be used to make workers’ lives easier.
The legislation would follow up on other Michigan AI-related laws. Those criminalize the use of hyper-realistic AI-created media known as deep fakes for political or non-consensual sexual purposes.
The prior bills passed with bipartisan support.
When asked Monday about the prospects of the legislation passing, Tsernoglou said she had been talking with Republicans, who control of the Michigan House of Representatives, about getting support for her latest effort. She said she hadn’t fully heard back yet on their response.
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