E&W Blog

Today, the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing to help ensure American workers and job creators are ready to compete and succeed in an economy driven by artificial intelligence (AI).

Subcommittee Chairman Rick Allen (R-GA) started the hearing by discussing how clear expectations and responsible use of AI not only protect workers’ rights but also strengthen workplace morale and performance. "While technology can make our workplaces better, trust and transparency always benefit the workplace. Employers protect rights, strengthen morale, and build trust when they communicate openly about how AI is deployed in the workplace. That trust is essential for a competitive workforce and strengthens ties between workers and job creators. The bottom line is that AI can create opportunity without compromising fairness or safety,” he said.

Witnesses highlighted the need for data on workforce trends and how AI is changing the modern workplace. 

“AI is already changing how work is done in the United States—but in uneven, task-specific ways that our current data struggle to capture. Workers sense this uncertainty acutely. The appropriate response is neither complacency nor panic, but measurement-first policymaking. By investing in better data now, Congress can ensure that debates over training, labor standards, and social insurance are grounded in evidence—and that AI adoption at work proceeds in a way that is both innovative and worker-centered,” said Ms. Revana Sharfuddin, Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. 

Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI)discussed with Mr. David Walton, Partner, Fisher Phillips, and Founder and Co-Chair of the firm's AI, Data, and Analytics Group, how AI is creating jobs rather than displacing workers.

“AI is going to create more jobs than it replaces. I was reading something recently…that the internet created 2.6 jobs for every job that it displaced. If you stop innovation in the American workplace, it’s going to hurt the American worker and it’s going to hurt the American economy vis-à-vis countries like China,” Mr. Walton explained. 

In an exchange with Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT), Mr. Bradford Kelley, Shareholder at Littler Mendelson, P.C. said many employee-rights concerns related to AI are already covered by existing law, cautioning against creating overlapping or confusing new regulations. “If you’re using artificial intelligence to screen applicants on the basis of race, sex or disability—those violate existing laws. We need to put the focus on existing laws…we hear about these concerns and hypotheticals…and the cases aren’t there,” Mr. Kelley explained.

Rep. Bob Onder (R-MO)noted how AI is increasing workforce productivity in medicine, drawing on his own experience in the field. “I am a physician and I know some of my colleagues now use AI scribes to decrease administrative burden in clinical documentation. I remember back in the day…I would bring home paper charts and spend hours dictating patient notes. Now AI can listen in and sometimes complete hours of paperwork in [mere] minutes,” he said. 

Bottom line: AI is rapidly reshaping the workforce for both employers and employees. Committee Republicans are focused on harnessing AI to boost productivity, empower workers, and put the American Dream within reach for more Americans.