US Labor Department taps OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Amazon for AI jobs data

The US Labor Department has reached data-sharing agreements with major technology companies to track how artificial intelligence is affecting jobs and hiring, acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling told Axios.

Sonderling said OpenAI, Google, Meta and Amazon are among the companies sharing information about how businesses use AI and where adoption is headed. The department has signed memorandums of understanding with several technology firms.

The effort is intended to supplement traditional government statistics, which may not capture changes in the labor market quickly enough as AI adoption accelerates.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides jobs and inflation data used by the Federal Reserve when setting interest rates. BLS has faced declining survey response rates, while Fed Chair Kevin Warsh has questioned whether existing statistics can keep pace with economic changes.

Sonderling said the private-sector findings would provide BLS with additional information about AI adoption and its impact on workers, and that the results would be made public.