Donald Trump’s AI Action Plan drops Biden’s AI regulations, aims to “empower American workers” with AI skills.
The plan rolls back Biden-era rules targeting algorithmic discrimination, false AI advertising, and automated system harms. Instead, it pushes AI literacy, labor market impact tracking, and rapid worker retraining.
This focus on “reskilling” and “upskilling” aligns with mainstream US politics. Senators Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders have also stressed AI’s potential to disrupt jobs. Big unions like the American Federation of Teachers are teaming up with Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic to build AI education programs. 
But the reality of AI in workplaces is grim. Workers are losing jobs—not because AI matches human quality—but because firms chase AI hype and cost savings. Remaining workers face “labor intensification”: more tasks, less time, and covering duties for laid-off colleagues. As one author bluntly put it:
“AI is not going to replace your job. But it will make your job a lot shittier.”
Productivity gains from AI tools appear minimal. A study of 25,000 Danish workers found just 2.8% time savings after AI rolled in—but new tasks rose for 8.4% of workers. Another coding assistant study revealed a 19% slowdown in completing tasks.
Teachers, illustrators, and programmers report extra work fixing AI errors and detecting AI usage. The American Association of University Professors found that AI adds to workloads with no clear boost in teaching outcomes.
Tech companies selling AI efficiency are cutting staff to fund AI projects. Klarna fired 700 workers to go “AI-first,” then vowed to hire more human customer support later. Layoffs are fueled by AI hype, not actual productivity gains.
National Nurses Union warns automation adds fatigue, scapegoating, and worsens care. They stress that skilled nursing relies on deep experience AI can’t match.
“The art of patient assessment needs to be ‘grounded in education and judgment honed through years of professional experience.’”
— National Nurses Union
The future of AI in work won’t be automatic adoption. Workers need control over which AI tools are introduced and strong protections. AI’s promise is overblown. Cost savings come with new problems, extra labor, and workplace precarity.
Trump’s AI plan ignores these details but buys into the familiar “upskill or lose out” story. The real challenge: holding companies accountable for how AI changes work and putting power in workers’ hands.
