Workers of one of the most powerful unions in California are forming an early front in the battle against artificial intelligence, warning it could take jobs and harm people\u2019s health. <\/p>\n
As part of their ongoing negotiations with their employer, Kaiser<\/a> Permanente workers have been pushing back against the giant healthcare provider\u2019s use of AI<\/a>. They are building demands around the issue and others, using picket lines and hunger strikes to help persuade Kaiser to use the powerful technology responsibly. <\/p>\n Kaiser says AI could save employees from tedious, time-consuming tasks such as taking notes and paperwork. Workers say that could be the first step down a slippery slope that leads to layoffs and damage to patient health. <\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re sort of painting a map that would reduce their need for human workers and human clinicians,\u201d said Ilana Marcucci-Morris, a licensed clinical social worker and part of the bargaining team for the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which is fighting for more protections against AI.<\/p>\n The 42-year-old Oakland-based therapist says she knows technology can be useful but warns that the consequences for patients have been \u201cgrave\u201d when AI makes mistakes. <\/p>\n Kaiser says AI can help physicians and employees focus on serving members and patients.<\/p>\n \u201cAI does not replace human assessment and care,\u201d Kaiser spokesperson Candice Lee said in an email. \u201cArtificial intelligence holds significant potential to benefit healthcare by supporting better diagnostics, enhancing patient-clinician relationships, optimizing clinicians\u2019 time, and ensuring fairness in care experiences and health outcomes by addressing individual needs.\u201d <\/p>\n AI fears are shaking up industries across the country. <\/p>\n Medical administrative assistants are among the most exposed to AI, according to a recent study by Brookings and the Centre for the Governance of AI. The assistants do the type of work that AI is getting better at. Meanwhile, they are less likely to have the skills or support needed to transition to new jobs, the study said. <\/p>\n There are millions of other jobs that are among the most vulnerable to AI, such as office clerks, insurance sales agents and translators, according to the research<\/a> released last month. <\/p>\n In California, labor unions<\/a> this week urged Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers to pass more legislation to protect workers from AI. The California Federation of Labor Unions has sponsored a package of bills to address AI\u2019s risks, including job loss and surveillance. <\/p>\n The technology \u201cthreatens to eviscerate workers\u2019 rights and cause widespread job loss,\u201d the group said in a joint letter with AFL-CIO leaders in different states. <\/p>\n Kaiser Permanente is California\u2019s largest private employer, with close to 19,000 physicians and more than 180,000 employees statewide. It has a major presence in Washington, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii and other states.<\/p>\n The National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents Kaiser employees, has been among the earliest to recognize and respond to the encroachment of AI into the workplace. As it has negotiated for better pay and working conditions, the use of AI has also become an important new point of discussion between workers and management. <\/p>\n Kaiser already uses AI software to transcribe conversations and take notes between healthcare workers and patients, but therapists have privacy concerns about recording highly sensitive remarks. The company also uses AI to predict when hospitalized patients might become more ill. It offers mental health apps for enrollees, including at least one with an AI chatbot.<\/p>\n Last year, Kaiser mental health workers held a hunger strike in Los Angeles to demand that the healthcare provider improve its mental health services and patient care. <\/p>\n The union ratified a new contract covering 2,400 mental health and addiction medicine employees in Southern California last year, but negotiations continue for Marcucci-Morris and other Northern California mental health workers. They want Kaiser to pledge that AI<\/a> will be used only to assist, but not replace, workers. <\/p>\n Kaiser said it\u2019s still bargaining with the union. <\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t know what the future holds, but our proposal would commit us to bargain if there are changes to working conditions due to any new AI technologies,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n Healthcare workers say they are worried about what they are already seeing can happen when people struggling with mental health issues interact too much with AI chatbots. <\/p>\n AI chatbots such as OpenAI\u2019s ChatGPT aren\u2019t licensed or designed to be therapists and can\u2019t replace professional mental health care. Still, some teenagers and adults have been turning to chatbots to share their personal struggles. People have long been using Google to deal with physical and mental health issues, but AI can seem more powerful because it delivers what looks like a diagnosis and a solution with confidence in a conversation. <\/p>\n Parents whose children died by suicide after talking to chatbots have sued California AI companies Character.AI<\/a> and OpenAI, alleging the platforms provided content that harmed the mental health of young people and discussed suicide methods. <\/p>\n \u201cThey are not trained to respond as a human would respond,\u201d said Dr. Dustin Weissman, president of the California Psychological Assn. \u201cA lot of those nuances can fall through the cracks, and because of that, it could lead to catastrophic outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n Healthcare providers have also faced lawsuits over the use of AI tools to record conversations between doctors and patients. A November lawsuit, filed in San Diego County Superior Court, alleged Sharp HealthCare<\/a> used an AI note-taking software called Abridge to illegally record doctor-patient conversations without consent.<\/p>\n Sharp HealthCare said it protects patients\u2019 privacy and does not use AI tools during therapy sessions. <\/p>\n Some Kaiser doctors and clinicians, including therapists, use Abridge to take notes during patient visits. Kaiser Permanente Ventures, its venture capital arm, has invested in Abridge. <\/p>\n The healthcare provider said, \u201cInvestment decisions are distinctly separate from other decisions made by Kaiser Permanente.\u201d<\/p>\n Close to half of Kaiser behavioral health professionals in Northern California said they are uncomfortable with the introduction of AI tools, including Abridge, in their clinical practice, according to their union. <\/p>\n The provider said its workers review the AI-generated notes for accuracy and get patient consent, and that the recordings and transcripts are encrypted. Data are \u201cstored and processed in approved, compliant environments for up to 14 days before becoming permanently deleted.\u201d<\/p>\n Lawmakers and mental health professionals are exploring other ways to restrict the use of AI in mental healthcare.<\/p>\n