CWE's Nicholas Arture supports Intro 161 and worker input on AI

Good evening, Speaker Menon, Technology Chair De La Rosa, and members of the Committee of the Whole.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

My name is Nicholas Artur, and I serve as Director of External Affairs and Strategic Partnerships at the Consortium for Worker Education, CWE.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

Rooted in the values of the labor movement, CWE empowers workers with the skills to thrive, support their families, and strengthen their communities through education, training, child care, and job placement services.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

For CWE, worker protections must be a part of AI safety.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

This is why we strongly support the Council's efforts through Intro No.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

161 to understand how algorithmic tools are changing city employment.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

Measuring what happened to city workers'jobs because of AI is just the first step.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

We also need to be able to prepare workers for what comes next.

CWE is developing a framework to inform how we can support workers through education and policy to assist them during this point of transition.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

When AI technology risks changing the nature of someone's jobs, a few things should happen before that technology gets rolled out.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

Employers should assess the impact, tell workers what's coming, sit down with those workers and their unions, and provide training that's actually relevant to the work people do.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

That means asking more than how many jobs did AI eliminate.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

It also means asking which jobs are changing and how.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

What skills will workers need?

Can they be retrained, redeployed?

And do workers have any say in this?

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

Their voices are paramount.

This matters more now because AI isn't just a tool sitting on our desktops anymore.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

It's changing how work gets assigned, how people are evaluated, and how schedules are built and how work gets done.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

That's why we see Intro 161 and CWE's framework as two sides of the same effort.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

161 tells us what's changed.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

CWE wants to help the city get ahead of that change and make sure workers are ready for it.

We're not asking the city to pick between innovation and workers.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

We're asking the city to make sure workers don't carry the cost of innovation by themselves.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

CWE is ready to work with the council, organized labor, employers, and educational institutions to build a workforce transition system that makes technological changes safer, fairer, and more beneficial for working New Yorkers, and above all, builds worker power.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And you actually heard the deputy commissioner say that, that they can't find somebody inside of New York City to say that.