WASHINGTON — A key moment during a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on artificial intelligence focused on how concerns about AI in the workplace are being characterized by lawmakers.
During questioning, Committee Chairman Tim Walberg, who represents Lenawee County, discussed a 2022 National Labor Relations Board memo addressing employer use of AI. Walberg referenced testimony from labor attorney Bradford Kelly, who criticized the memo as overly broad and based on academic research rather than case law.
In the exchange, Walberg agreed with Kelly’s characterization of the memo as a “Halloween scare,” signaling support for the argument that warnings about AI harming workers are speculative rather than grounded in documented enforcement cases.
The hearing examined whether existing labor laws are sufficient to address AI’s impact on workers or whether new guardrails are needed as adoption expands nationwide.
See the exchange below: