A Cornell University labor expert will help shape New York’s response to the growing influence of artificial intelligence in the workplace as part of a new statewide commission focused on protecting workers while supporting innovation.
Alexander Colvin, dean of Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, has been appointed by Gov. Kathy Hochul to serve on the FutureWorks Commission, a 20-member panel charged with developing recommendations on how the state should address AI’s impact on jobs, workforce development and economic security.
Colvin, who also serves as the Kenneth F. Kahn Dean and Martin F. Scheinman Professor of Conflict Resolution, said the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence presents both opportunities and risks for workers.
“The impact of AI on jobs is a central issue facing our economy, and it is vital that we address how workers in New York state can both be protected from the downsides and share in the benefits of this rapid wave of technological change at work,” Colvin said.
The commission includes experts from technology, education, labor and economic development and will be co-chaired by former U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez, TIAA CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett and Brookings Institution fellow Molly Kinder.
Colvin said Cornell’s ILR School is uniquely positioned to contribute to the discussion because of its expertise in labor law, human resources and workforce issues. Researchers at the school are studying where AI is being deployed and how businesses and employees can adapt to technological changes.
“There is a lot of fear of the unknown surrounding AI and how it will affect workers,” Colvin said. “Just as the industrial revolution shifted jobs from the farm to the factory, jobs won’t necessarily go away, but they will shift.”
Hochul announced the commission earlier this month as part of a broader effort to prepare New York’s economy for advances in artificial intelligence. The group is expected to hold its first meeting in late July and deliver recommendations to the state by the end of the year.
The commission’s work will focus on balancing economic growth driven by AI with policies designed to help workers adapt to changing job requirements and benefit from emerging technologies.
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