Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Work
SHARE recognizes that work is changing with the rapid development of new technologies — especially Artificial Intelligence, or AI. SHARE members are already seeing AI incorporated into aspects of our work, as it is integrated into the software systems we use every day.
Using AI as a tool has helped SHARE members keep information usefully organized at their fingertips, making some aspects of our work easier and more efficient. At the same time, some SHARE members also say that their work has become more stressful, as AI takes over the easier aspects of their jobs, requiring members to hit the same productivity goals, while dealing with increasingly complex problems.
Our union is working to keep SHARE members in the driver’s seat with these new tools. Here are a few ways:
SHARE Partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT faculty member Zana talks with SHARE Executive Board member Annette and SHARE Organizer Kirk about new workplace technologies
SHARE is working directly with researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and UMass Memorial to test ways that SHARE members can shape AI tools and how they are implemented. The MIT research group brings together experts from a range of technical and social science backgrounds who can help us. They have secured some grant money that pays them to work with us, and have applied for a more substantial grant that would allow us to work together to create a “Work Redesign Playbook.”
The MIT Sloan AI Work Redesign Playbook is a research project focused on making sure workers have a real voice in how AI is introduced on the job. It studies how AI can help people focus on more meaningful work—but also recognizes risks like burnout, job pressure, and job loss if workers are left out of decisions. For SHARE members, this project offers a chance to make sure new technology works for us, not against us, by using technology to help us be able to put our focus on the most important parts of taking care of our patients and our hospital. Learn more here.
SHARE Researching Artificial Intelligence
SHARE leaders are speaking with and learning from researchers and labor leaders from around the country to understand the opportunities and risks associated with AI. We are making connections through Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA), Penn State University webinars, AFSCME (our parent union), and local universities including Harvard and MIT.
The first AFSCME International Convening about Artificial Intelligence brought union leaders together to describe what’s happening in our workplaces around the country, and how we can make sure that we maintain a say in how technology is used.
We’re sharing our own knowledge and learning more so that we can:
Keep caregivers in the role of giving care to patients, providing the best care by using our own expertise
Hold long-view conversations about future
Mitigate outside pressures of AI, such as the technologies embedded in the software we use at work
Have transparency about where AI is currently being used
Anticipate re-training needs
Place limits on monitoring, surveillance
Obtain quality training in the use of AI tools
YOU Are Shaping the Future of Work
SHARE members and leaders are having many individual conversations about AI. If you have questions, concerns, or ideas about how AI could be affecting your work, SHARE wants to know. Reach out to your area SHARE Organizer, or email us.
You will receive the third and final installment of the SHARE Survey Series to prepare for our 2026 Contract Negotiations with UMass Memorial soon. This survey has several questions about AI . . . please let us know about your experience!