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Claiming workers' seat at the AI table — The STAND

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The AFL-CIO’s new Workers First Initiative on AI is a bulwark against big tech companies prioritizing profits over safety and accountability WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 16, 2025) — Fearing new textile machinery would make their jobs obsolete, some mill workers in 19th century England stormed factories, wrecking knitting frames and steam-powered looms. These workers — the Luddites — saw no way for automation to make their lives easier. While perhaps cathartic, smashing machinery didn’t keep automation out of factories. What could have been possible if these workers had been able to negotiate the use of new tech and mold it into a benefit for working people, not a job killer? 200 years later, new tech is radically changing work once again. Many working people fear the rise of artificial intelligence will displace them from their jobs. Massive tech companies are pouring millions into a lobbying effort to stymie regulation and government oversight, focused on profits rather than responsible

Share Tweet The AFL-CIO’s new Workers First Initiative on AI is a bulwark against big tech companies prioritizing profits over safety and accountability WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 16, 2025) — Fearing new textile machinery would make their jobs obsolete, some mill workers in 19th century England stormed factories, wrecking knitting frames and steam-powered looms. These workers — the Luddites — saw no way for automation to make their lives easier. While perhaps cathartic, smashing machinery didn’t keep automation out of factories. What could have been possible if the

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