San Mateo County employees can rest assured they won’t immediately lose their jobs as artificial intelligence advancements continue after supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution affirming the county’s commitment to balancing technological advancements with preserving staffing.
In addition to the commitment to protect county jobs when pursuing new AI tools across departments, the resolution, put forward by Supervisor Ray Mueller, calls for the County Executive’s Office to develop strategies for achieving that balance.
Mueller cited a report by Goldman Sachs from March of 2023 that found about two-thirds of current jobs in the United States and Europe are exposed to some degree of AI automation and about one-quarter of current jobs could be substituted by generative AI. Mueller also pointed to recent tech layoffs across Silicon Valley, which have been credited to AI, as proof some intervention is needed.
“I believe, and economists believe, that we are actually in one of those phases of technological unemployment which is starting to begin and that disruption, according to Goldman Sachs, it’s uncertain how long it will actually last,” Mueller said during the meeting Tuesday, Jan. 23. “When you’re entering one of those time periods of technological unemployment it’s incumbent, I believe, upon policymakers to find those new jobs, to keep people employed and to make sure there is not a disruption that threatens the public health, safety and local economy of our residents.
Instead of fueling fears about AI, Mueller said his intent is to reduce staff hesitation around the technology as departments from County Health to the Assessor’s Office and planning and public safety departments explore various AI tools.
Labor union representatives lauded the proposal as a much-needed policy during Tuesday’s meeting and implored the board to adopt the measure. Julie Lind, executive officer of the San Mateo County Labor Council, the umbrella organization representing 95 affiliated local unions and more than 80,000 union members, said AI presents “many incredible opportunities but also serves as an existential threat to a multitude of blue-collar jobs if not integrated responsibly.”
“I feel it’s incredibly important for all of us to be working together to figure out responsible ways to integrate technological advancements while also mitigating displacement of our existing workforce,” Lind said, sharing hope other local jurisdictions would adopt similar resolutions.
Others commenting to the board argued the county should be going further with the policy by also protecting jobs in the private sector from AI advancements as well but Mueller noted the county’s power is limited. Supervisor Noelia Corzo instead suggested the public take small steps to protect jobs such as avoiding self-checkout stands and other tools that replace human workers.
Board Vice President David Canepa said the issue of job displacement due to AI advancements has been on his mind since taking county office in 2017 and thanked Mueller for bringing the legislation forward. He argued AI is a serious threat that could be disastrous for the public if not regulated and argued the county should work with state and federal leaders on the matter.
“Yes, change is inevitable. It may mean that many workers whose jobs may be at risk in the next decade will have to be retrained,” Canepa said. “With that, I think it’s critical that we develop strategies to maintain county jobs as AI continues to develop.”
(2) comments
This may be developing into a employee safety zone. PG&E eliminated the meter readers and CalTrans the toll takers, all because of technological advances. All of those employees were absorbed as surplus in the workforce at our expense as they had no usable skills. Their labor unions made sure of that. As far as I know some are still sitting around. It is absurd to believe that all jobs can be saved and that we should allow those who lost them be kept on the payroll.
What!? The government doing their best to preserve their union labor and, more importantly, their pensions and benefits? Who would have thought? I’d posit most everyone. Further on the record evidence that it’s not about what’s best for constituents but what’s best for union labor. I think we can all be rest assured that some, perhaps many, San Mateo County and other government employees will eventually lose their jobs to AI. For just as big a bang for the buck, if not more, I’d recommend we implement AI into our public education system. Meanwhile, just vote no on any tax measures because these taxpayer funds will be used mostly to pay for pensions and benefits – of which AI doesn’t require.
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