Photo Credit: Associated Press / California Governor Gavin Newsom
(CALIFORNIA) - The first statewide AI-Unemployment Tracker was launched in California this month. Governor Gavin Newsom announced the launch of the tool, which monitors and identifies plausible job losses related to the use of AI.
Aptly named the California AI-Unemployment Tracker (CAIT), the tool's dashboard is expected to be updated monthly, making it easier for policymakers to detect signs of potential job displacement. CAIT will also help provide information regarding where additional training may be needed, assist with job placement, and offer various other workforce services.
So far, the tool hasn’t found any evidence of massive job loss due to AI deployment in the workforce across California, but data in the newest report does show a small upswing in unemployment claims among college-educated workers in the San Francisco Bay Area who held jobs that were exposed to AI tools like ChatGPT. The report did find that college-educated workers, especially those with Master's Degrees and PhDs, have seen higher unemployment since the introduction of AI.
Photo Credit: UCLA Newsroom / UCLA home of the CPL
Senior Researcher at the California Policy Lab (CPL), Dr. Ben Hyman noted, “Right now, we are not seeing evidence of large-scale AI-related layoffs in California’s labor market, but we do see patterns in certain regions like the Bay Area, in certain tech-heavy sectors, and among highly AI-exposed workers with college degrees”
This trend isn't being viewed as an issue just yet, with the State instead seeing it as an early warning sign that requires further monitoring by CAIT, stated Hyman.
“It will be important to continue monitoring trends for those workers, as well as others, so that policymakers can respond appropriately,” he adds.
There is no indication that any AI-related unemployment thus far has been biased by race, ethnicity, age, or gender.
CAIT is less a way to prevent AI-related job loss and more a method to prepare individuals, businesses, and communities for changes caused by AI. This also includes investing in AI-workforce planning, training, and initiatives that will help essential workers adapt to changes in the labor market due to the implementation of AI.
For the last few years, California has slowly been positioning itself as a leader in AI governance. CAIT is a first step in seeking to balance the new technology and ongoing innovations in AI with the demand for greater consumer and employee protections, as well as transparency surrounding data privacy and collection.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at kristin.h@lead4earth.org.
0
0
Comments