{"id":225031,"date":"2026-06-03T05:28:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/03\/ais-future-should-not-be-decided-for-workers-it-should-be-built-with-them\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T05:41:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T09:41:01","slug":"ais-future-should-not-be-decided-for-workers-it-should-be-built-with-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/03\/ais-future-should-not-be-decided-for-workers-it-should-be-built-with-them\/","title":{"rendered":"AI’s future should not be decided for workers. It should be built with them."},"content":{"rendered":"

AI’s future should not be decided for workers. It should be built with them.<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.cleveland.com\/opinion\/2026\/06\/labor-human-dignity-and-the-future-of-artificial-intelligence-brian-pearson.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-06-03 05:28:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: www.cleveland.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points. On May 25, Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, \u201cMagnifica Humanitas\u201d (Magnificent Humanity), a sweeping document on artificial intelligence, democracy, labor, and human dignity. In it, the Pope draws direct comparisons to the Industrial Revolution and Pope Leo XIII\u2019s historic 1891 encyclical \u201cRerum Novarum,\u201d which defended workers during a period of rapid economic transformation. Marking the 135th anniversary of that document, Pope Leo XIV addresses the \u201cnew things\u201d of our time: digitization, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and growing concentration of technological power.His warning should resonate strongly in Northeast Ohio.Our region understands both the promise and disruption of economic transformation. Generations of workers built this region through industry, innovation, and skilled labor. We also know the lasting damage that occurs when technological progress benefits corporations while workers and communities are left behind.The encyclical arrives just months after the AFL-CIO launched its \u201cWorkers First Initiative on AI,\u201d the first comprehensive labor agenda establishing principles on artificial intelligence. Both Pope Leo XIV and the AFL-CIO argue that AI must serve humanity and that workers must have a voice in its development. They warn that concentrated corporate power poses serious risks to democracy and that technological progress cannot come at the expense of human dignity. Artificial intelligence is already transforming American industries. Employers are increasingly using algorithmic management systems to monitor workers, assign schedules, track productivity, and evaluate performance. AI is even influencing hiring decisions. While these technologies can improve safety and efficiency, they also intensify workplace surveillance, risk job displacement, and erode accountability.Pope Leo and the AFL-CIO both warn that artificial intelligence is not neutral. It is designed and deployed by institutions shaped by power, profit, and political priorities. Too often, AI forces workers to adapt to the speed of machines rather than supporting human labor. Rather than eliminating mundane tasks, poorly deployed AI can de-skill workers and trap them in rigid systems controlled by algorithms. But neither the Pope nor the labor movement rejects technological advancement. The challenge is ensuring these tools are regulated and used to strengthen rather than weaken human dignity. The AFL-CIO\u2019s initiative calls for safeguards around worker privacy, transparency in algorithmic decisions, collective bargaining rights, and democratic accountability. Pope Leo similarly emphasizes truth, freedom, privacy, and the dignity of work, calling for \u201cnew collaborative efforts\u201d among political leaders, labor organizations, the business community, and the scientific world to develop rapid and effective protections. That framework points directly to the responsibility now facing lawmakers: to ensure that AI governance is not left solely to markets or private firms but is shaped through democratic accountability and public interest.This conversation is already taking shape in Northeast Ohio. The North Shore AFL-CIO is leading the way, bringing together labor leaders, lawmakers, community stakeholders, and researchers to shape the policies and ethical standards governing these technologies. We cannot simply react to technological change — we want to strengthen worker dignity through it.Brian Pearson is executive secretary of the North Shore Ohio AFL-CIO Federation of Labor in Cleveland.Courtesy of Brian PearsonThe labor movement has faced moments like this before. During the Industrial Revolution, workers organized to demand safe workplaces, fair wages, and dignity on the job as new technologies transformed the economy. Today\u2019s AI revolution presents a similar challenge. Artificial intelligence can improve lives, reduce dangerous work, and expand human potential. But that future depends on whether workers have the power to shape how these technologies are used. The future of AI should not be decided for workers. It should be built with them.Brian Pearson is the Executive Secretary of the North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor in Cleveland.MORE BY GUEST COLUMNIST CLEVELAND.COMHave something to say about this topic?* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments or corrections on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.
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AI’s future should not be decided for workers. It should be built with them. https:\/\/www.cleveland.com\/opinion\/2026\/06\/labor-human-dignity-and-the-future-of-artificial-intelligence-brian-pearson.html…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":225032,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.cleveland.com\/resizer\/v2\/RJALFDAOSVCAHIBKDU542456RU.JPG?auth=e3ae61652333b9cc0de8c3151710e7df4d9270c3a84e64d42f08ef1400befaa8&width=1280&smart=true&quality=90","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[20],"class_list":["post-225031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificial-intelligence"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225031"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225031"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":225033,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225031\/revisions\/225033"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}