Kristen Gonzalez was elected to the state Senate in 2022 for a newly redrawn district covering the sash of the Northwest Queen. She was appointed to the Senate Internet and Technology Committee and wrote to Artificial Intelligence some of the nation’s first state-level regulations, including legislative oversight of automated decision-making in government. This interview has been compiled for length and clarity.
Last year you were the driver behind the loading method. What exactly does it do and what doesn’t it do?
We introduced the Loading Method at the end of our first session in 2023. At that point, it approached the name. Although AI and automated decision-making systems have been in use for a long time and are now in use, with the rise in generative AI, it is extremely important to protect New Yorkers and ensure that these tools are used in the safest way.
We introduced the bill, we were able to pass it and got a chapter version of that bill signed by the governor. That is the public sector AI and workers protection law. What the bill does is require an inventory of automated decision-making tools, the first law of this type of AI law, specifically calling labor protection for state employees.
I am truly proud that this bill is the first in the country to have labour protection for national workers, as it relates to artificial intelligence. The urgency for this type of law is that other public sector workers are experiencing massive layoffs and the introduction of generated information into the workplace based on what we are currently seeing in the federal government. We passed the bill at the AFL-CIO, which protected state workers in New York when we saw federal workers being threatened by automation and layoffs.
Additionally, the labour protection and chapter version of this bill requires specific disclosures of automated employment decision-making tools at state agencies, including tools for employment, wages, recruitment, training, promotions and firing. According to the bill, this disclosure must be made public by December 30, 2025.
From a worker’s perspective, we not only have labor protections in the bill, but we also have transparency in employment tools. This has a profound impact on employment decisions. I’m really proud of both ends, this is the law of justice for workers.
What other laws have you put together to address AI? Specifically, how does that affect New York workers?
The final legislative meeting passed an act that regulates the use of AI and deep fakes of elections. We began by regulating the use of these tools and their impact on elections as an extension of their impact on democracy. They continued to regulate AI by examining its impact on the public sector and state governments. If we are trying to create a world that works for all of us and working-class New Yorkers, we need to make sure we keep governments in gold standard, and in that order, look at the private sector and see if they have a wide influence on our workers.
If we don’t hold ourselves to a high standard, it’s pointless to continue regulating the private sector.
What is your agenda regarding AI and workers protection in 2025?
This year, I introduced the New York AI Act. This is a private sector regulation bill. Adjusts high-risk AI. This is a substantial tool to take into account the consequential decisions in the life of a New Yorker. And it has a significant impact on the rights of that New Yorker and the liberties and welfare of its citizens.
We are really focused on risky use cases of what we already know with the generation AI and regulating their use. We don’t necessarily regulate the use of the technology, but we make sure we use it responsibly.
Protect workers if they report illegal activities by developers and employers. Protection of these whistleblowers is key to protecting workers.
The other thing I call is the Consumer Protection Bill, which gives consumers the ability to opt out and appeal decisions made using AI that influenced their rights and civil liberties.
There is also the New York Workforce Stabilization Act. This requires certain companies to conduct AI impact assessments on how AI tools are used and submit evaluations to the Ministry of Labor. What the bill sees through this is to amend the labour law and give the labour ministry a chance to see how AI is affecting private sector employees with regard to automation.
State Sen. Brad Hoyleman Cigar is the sponsor of another bill called the BOT Act, protecting workers from employment decisions made by AI. Have you signed on for it? How does it work?
The bill complements our bill. The reason the bill complements each other is to limit employers’ use of technology and use automated surveillance to screen employee employment decisions. It also restricts use by employment agencies.
It’s important to pass both. Employment and employment are directly related to someone’s livelihood and are considered high-risk applications of bots and AI tools. This work complements what we did before and the New York AI Act, which seeks to protect New Yorkers with particularly high-risk contacts.
Apart from AI, are there any other ways the internet and technology is affecting New York workers, or other potential policy changes you are exploring?
We are looking at ways to discuss workers’ justice, including the best AI officer bills that will help set guidance on using technology to convene the public and private sectors. There are also chatbot bills that are the result of the spread of misinformation last year.
We had this conversation about what we need to do to educate our workforce to use these new technologies.
I don’t think many people are experiencing new technology, but we’ve already seen this. Without these conversations and plans, we will not be prepared and we will not set up New Yorkers for success.
I would like to use this committee to plan a positive vision and innovate the private sector while protecting consumers. We would like to see the possibility of a 4-day working week as these tools can be used effectively. There are so many opportunities here through the committee and we want to push us forward and organize Congress to make that vision come true.
What other worker-oriented bills will be your focus?
There is a bill we are working on. I don’t think it’s completely ready in its current form, but as representatives of Long Island City, we have many apprentice centres for trade. We want to make sure that the state government is expanding union jobs and increasing the number of apprentice slots that exist.
It’s an ongoing work, but it’s inspired by a trip to Sweden that I made last year as part of a legislative delegation. What we saw in Sweden was primarily a unionized workforce. How did the trip intertwined with renewable energy in the green economy and how coalition workers were able to operate renewable energy and reduce emissions? It was held by Cornell Labor Relations School, and they took us to another country and did an incredible job of inspiring the law in New York.
Also, whether it’s Amazon, Alphabet, you need to make sure that unionization of high-tech workers needs to be amplified. They are in solidarity with other unions that exist, and we need to build an organisation all over the place.
