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[biglo25]

Microsoft Agrees to Union Contract Terms Governing Its Use of AI - Bloomberg?

• Pact covers a few hundred workers at Microsoft gaming studio
• AI has become contentious issue in several labor disuptes

Microsoft Corp. has agreed to union contract language governing its use of artificial intelligence, creating an avenue for workers to challenge how it deploys the evolving technology.

As part of negotiations with the Communications Workers of America – the first US collective bargaining in the company’s history – Microsoft has reached a tentative agreement on an AI article to include in a contract covering a few hundred staff at Microsoft’s video game studio ZeniMax.

The language incorporates Microsoft’s six previously announced AI principles, which commit the company to ensuring the systems “treat all people fairly” and “empower everyone and engage people.” In the new agreement, which was viewed by Bloomberg News, Microsoft commits to applying “these AI principles across all of our AI technologies to help employees achieve greater productivity, growth and satisfaction in the work they do.”

“The goal is to ensure tools and technologies benefit rather than harm workers,” according to the contract language. It then obligates Microsoft to inform the union any time its implementation of AI or other automation “may impact work performed” by union members, and if requested, to negotiate over the impact on employees.

Microsoft didn’t provide comment in response to inquiries.

The company has revamped almost its entire product lineup, including Office, Windows, search and security software, to add features based on OpenAI technology. The AI-enhanced software helps workers with a range of tasks — from coding to writing emails to keeping track of customer needs.

Microsoft calls its AI products copilots, which is meant to convey that they work with employees rather than replacing them. Still, Microsoft executives acknowledge the wider deployment of these and other kinds of AI tools will change people’s jobs and may have broader workforce impacts.

“It’s important with new technology that’s taking place that we make sure that there’s not any type of diminishment in what unions have fought for over the years,” CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. said in an interview. “Technology may change, but what unions stand for has not.”

While the language doesn’t establish detailed parameters, its inclusion in an enforceable union contract means that “Microsoft is bound to follow through,” Cummings said. Collective bargaining agreements generally include grievance procedures that can be invoked when either side believes the other has violated the terms, which can include escalating issues to mediation or arbitration.

Cummings said CWA isn’t against technological change, but wants to ensure workers have a say in the process, and that their job security, safety and benefits are protected. “I’ve worked for AT&T when telephones were the size of a breadbox,” he said. “Technology is going to continue to develop over the years, and the best way for workers to have a voice in how that technology is used in the workplace is by first of all being in a union and signing agreements such as this.”

The agreement with CWA offers Microsoft a recruiting advantage, Cummings said. “Microsoft is going to get the best young minds in this country,” added the union president, who hopes the deal will inspire more workers to unionize and other companies to follow Microsoft’s lead in agreeing to eschew union-busting.

In 2022, as it sought regulatory approval to buy Activision Blizzard Inc., Microsoft announced a new set of principles including a commitment to “collaborative approaches that will make it simpler” for workers to choose whether to unionize. When the ZeniMax workers sought to unionize, Microsoft distinguished itself from some peers by staying neutral rather than opposing their efforts.

AI has increasingly become a point of contention and negotiation in union contract talks. The agreement reached in September between Hollywood writers and studios, for example, includes provisions that the union says prevent writers from being forced to use software like ChatGPT, stop AI-generated material from being used to dilute writers’ credit and let the union challenge use of writers’ work to train AI systems.

[Sparda3g]

https://x.com/joshmunsee/status/1734259636155621574?s=46&t=O_AGT9SEnlptKOF_2SxtqQ

[nursegamer20]

@biglo25

Microsoft Agrees to Union Contract Terms Governing Its Use of AI - Bloomberg?

Nah this news too positive for Xbox and the workers, need more “Starfield is trash” thread for more console wars.

-Some forum at the internet

[Sparda3g]

https://x.com/fntastichq/status/1734265789237338453?s=46&t=O_AGT9SEnlptKOF_2SxtqQ

What the fuck…

[CryOn]

@Sparda3g

https://x.com/fntastichq/status/1734265789237338453?s=46&t=O_AGT9SEnlptKOF_2SxtqQ

What the fuck…

Scam failed so they need to close the studio.

Or the scam was successful and they are running away with their scam money.

Regardless that’s crazy.

[Astrakan]

Anyone know what the diamond score represents on those TrueAchievement year-in-review cards?

Also:

@CryOn

Scam failed so they need to close the studio.

Or the scam was successful and they are running away with their scam money.

Regardless that’s crazy.

Apparently I’m out of the loop. Who are these people? What scam?

edit: Answered my own question by finding this Reddit thread:

https://old.reddit.com/r/TheDayBefore/comments/lwaach/people_keep_saying_its_a_scam_whats_the_scam/gpiljr3/

[CryOn]

@Astrakan

Apparently I’m out of the loop. Who are these people? What scam?

Also, since I’m posting:

Anyone know what the diamond score represents on those TrueAchievement year-in-review cards?

The developer presents this game years ago as the next big open world MMO game with next Gen graphics and everyone was hyped.

They keep delaying the release and lying about things like game features and so.

Few month ago they release the first gameplay demo and everyone saw through their bs.

Few days ago they finally release the game and it was not an open world MMO - It was an extraction game with a very big downgrade on the graphics.

Reveal trailer:

The Day Before - Announcement Trailer

Latest trailer:

[Staffy]

https://x.com/VGC_News/status/1734145541347365046?s=20

We are going to see waterfalls of pony tears if this turns out be what PT/Silent Hill was going to be.

[Sparda3g]

First Abandoned, now this. What scares me is that Sony actually fell for it with Abandoned, so who knows what other games they advertised will actually come out.

[nursegamer20]

People really want that zombie coop/mmo/survival games. Bodes well for State of Decay 3 if they manage to give it a glow up in terms of animations/presentation and continue to evolve the formulas they have that fans of franchise love.

[Sparda3g]

@nursegamer20

People really want that zombie coop/mmo/survival games. Bodes well for State of Decay 3 if they manage to give it a glow up in terms of animations/presentation and continue to evolve the formulas they have that fans of franchise love.

Yeah, well the problem is they have to thank Xbox for it.

[Munki]

@Staffy

https://x.com/VGC_News/status/1734145541347365046?s=20

We are going to see waterfalls of pony tears if this turns out be what PT/Silent Hill was going to be.

It’s the same door…

https://twitter.com/JAAY_ROCK_/status/1734206748272029719?s=19

[nursegamer20]

@Sparda3g

Yeah, well the problem is they have to thank Xbox for it.

Well too bad for them, they just have to buy an Xbox or PC then.

[BRiT]

@CryOn

I’ve created a thread for the trueachiements gaming year infographic.

Need a mod to move the replies here and from the achievement thread so we have a better overview.

@BRiT @Doncabesa

Posts moved to discussion @

Check out your personal Xbox stats for 2023 with #MyYearOnXbox

[Screenshot_20231211_164538_X] Trueachievements has a infographic for your gaming year 2023. Want to know how many games you played and achievements you unlocked this year? Check out #MyYearOnXbox to find out! We are very partial to a personalized infographic here at TrueAchievements, so as we near the end of 2023 we thought it would be cool to create one for our members to show off their gaming successes from the year so far. Click here to see your own #MyYearOnXbox

[biglo25]

https://www.reddit.com/r/GamingLeaksAndRumours/comments/18fxk5b/on_the_resetera_forums_head_on_the_block_recently/

What do you guys think? it’s more of the same to me

[Knottian (Daniel)]

@Sparda3g

First Abandoned, now this. What scares me is that Sony actually fell for it with Abandoned, so who knows what other games they advertised will actually come out.

Maybe people will start realizing that this is a running theme with Sony: make a big splash and all their media sycophants/twitter losers will run for years with the lie, never making anywhere near the splash when the truth comes out. We literally saw the same thing for years with No Man’s Sky; yes, the game is great now, but it’s insane how many literal, bold-faced lies Sean Murray spun about the game (multiplayer being completely absent from the game for at least two years almost, if I recall) while Sony was happy to bankroll the game and parade the game over three years’ worth of E3s…

When you add up all these examples of Sony-adjacent deference, it’s impossible to argue that the bias is perceived and not actual reality.

[Freed]

@Sparda3g

https://x.com/insidergamingig/status/1734221307808547111?s=46&t=O_AGT9SEnlptKOF_2SxtqQ

Why?

Maybe the story and world have good potential and ideas that just wasn’t realized well in the game.

[Failwood]

@biglo25

https://www.reddit.com/r/GamingLeaksAndRumours/comments/18fxk5b/on_the_resetera_forums_head_on_the_block_recently/

What do you guys think? it’s more of the same to me

I’m a hero too isn’t particularly trustworthy.

[Sparda3g]

https://x.com/peterovo5/status/1734264635816063009?s=46&t=O_AGT9SEnlptKOF_2SxtqQ

I have to check to believe it and it’s actually real. As Dusk Falls was a different story in compare to others. Just buy an Xbox for now at $249.99.

[biglo25]

@Failwood

I’m a hero too isn’t particularly trustworthy.

yeah but feels like that par for the course with Sony and Sqaure