Hochul Launches FutureWorks Commission AI Workforce Listening Sessions

New York is asking workers how artificial intelligence is changing their jobs before developing a new statewide policy response.

New York is taking a closer look at how artificial intelligence could reshape the workplace, with Gov. Kathy Hochul launching FutureWorks Commission listening sessions designed to put workers directly into the conversation. The first session focused on working women in occupations that may be especially vulnerable to AI-driven changes, including administrative, clerical and customer-service jobs. The commission is expected to recommend policies by the end of 2026 aimed at protecting workers while helping New Yorkers benefit from the growing technology.

The effort reflects a challenge facing governments, employers and families across the country. Artificial intelligence can make workers more productive and create new opportunities, but researchers also warn that some occupations could experience major changes in their daily tasks or demand for workers.

The important question for New York is no longer whether AI will affect work. It is how the state can respond before some workers are left behind.

New York Begins Listening to Workers About AI

Hochul launched the latest phase of the FutureWorks Commission on Wednesday, Aug. 19, beginning a series of listening sessions with workers, small businesses and other stakeholders across New York.

The first session brought together women working in occupations that are already changing or have the potential to change because of AI.

Administrative assistants, clerical workers and customer-service employees are among the groups drawing particular attention because many of their routine tasks can increasingly be assisted or automated by generative AI systems.

According to the Governor’s Office, women make up 84 percent of workers in administrative back-office roles in New York, making the issue especially important for women’s economic security.

Hochul said the goal is to make technological progress work for employees as well as businesses.

“As New York continues to lead the nation on AI and tech innovation, I’m fighting to ensure that progress doesn’t come at the expense of working New Yorkers,” Hochul said.

The governor said workers need a voice as policymakers decide how the state should respond to AI’s growing presence in the workplace.

What Is the FutureWorks Commission?

The FutureWorks Commission is a 20-member New York State advisory group examining how artificial intelligence could affect workers, businesses, education and the broader economy.

Hochul first announced the commission in March. Its membership was announced in May.

It is chaired by former U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez, TIAA President and CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett and Molly Kinder, a researcher who has studied AI and employment. The panel also includes labor representatives, business leaders, academics, economic-development officials and workforce-policy specialists.

The commission has been asked to:

• Examine reliable ways to measure AI’s impact on employment.
• Listen to workers, businesses and communities experiencing technological change.
• Consider policies that could protect workers’ economic security.
• Identify ways workers and small businesses can share in AI’s economic benefits.
• Recommend both government policies and private-sector actions.

The recommendations are expected by the end of 2026, giving state officials an opportunity to consider additional measures in the following year.

Why Women and Office Workers Are Getting Special Attention

New York’s concern about administrative and clerical workers is supported by broader research.

A January 2026 Brookings Institution analysis identified about 6.1 million U.S. workers in highly AI-exposed occupations who may have limited ability to adapt quickly to displacement because of factors such as savings, age, local job opportunities or specialized skills. About 86 percent of that group were women, with many employed in clerical and administrative occupations.

Research from the International Labour Organization has also found that clerical occupations remain among those with the greatest exposure to generative AI. The ILO has stressed, however, that “exposure” does not automatically mean that a job will disappear. AI could instead change the tasks people perform within their existing jobs.

That distinction matters.

An administrative employee might use AI to summarize documents, draft routine correspondence or organize information rather than lose the entire position. In another company, however, technology could allow fewer employees to complete the same amount of work.

The outcome will depend heavily on how individual employers choose to use the technology.

AI Could Change Jobs Without Eliminating All of Them

Predictions of massive and immediate unemployment should be treated carefully.

Even government labor researchers have cautioned against assuming that every technological improvement automatically translates into job losses. Different applications of AI can both reduce and increase demand for workers, depending on the occupation and industry.

That uncertainty is one reason New York is emphasizing listening sessions rather than beginning with a predetermined policy.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for example, currently projects overall employment for secretaries and administrative assistants to show little or no change nationally between 2024 and 2034. The agency still projects roughly 358,300 openings per year, largely because workers will retire, leave the occupation or move into other jobs.

Other occupations may actually grow while incorporating AI.

The challenge, therefore, is more complicated than asking which jobs AI will “take.”

Policymakers will need to determine which tasks are changing, which employees need new skills and which communities may have the fewest resources to manage the transition.

Training Workers Before Their Jobs Change

New York has already begun building AI training programs alongside the FutureWorks Commission.

In March, the state announced an AI Prep workforce initiative intended to connect lower-income and underrepresented New Yorkers with AI-related training, internships and jobs. One track focuses on paid internships for undergraduate students while another is designed to connect workers with accelerated training and AI career opportunities.

The state also announced plans to use its Entrepreneurship Assistance Centers to help small businesses understand and adopt AI tools.

New York has separately expanded responsible AI training and tools to more than 100,000 state employees.

These programs reflect one side of the state’s strategy: teaching people to use new technology rather than simply trying to protect existing ways of working.

But training alone may not solve every problem.

Research reviewed by Brookings has questioned how effective traditional worker-retraining programs have been after major economic disruptions. That suggests programs may need to be closely connected to real employers and actual job opportunities instead of simply offering certificates or courses.

New York Is Also Investing Heavily in AI

The worker-protection effort comes as New York continues making major investments in artificial intelligence.

The state’s Empire AI initiative is a $500 million public-private partnership involving New York universities and an AI computing center at the University at Buffalo. State officials say the project is intended to give researchers access to advanced computing resources and strengthen New York’s position in AI research.

That creates an important balance for state policymakers.

New York wants the jobs, companies, research and economic growth associated with AI.

At the same time, the state must consider what happens to a receptionist, customer-service representative, bookkeeper, administrative assistant or other employee whose daily work can increasingly be performed with software.

Those goals do not necessarily conflict, but achieving both will require careful policy.

What Should the FutureWorks Commission Consider?

As the listening sessions continue, several issues deserve close attention.

Workers need access to training before displacement occurs, not only after they have lost their jobs.

Small businesses also need support. Large companies may have the money and expertise to experiment with expensive AI systems, while neighborhood businesses may struggle to determine which tools are useful or safe.

Education matters as well. If entry-level tasks increasingly become automated, young workers could have fewer opportunities to gain the experience that traditionally helped them move into better-paying positions. Brookings research has found that many career pathways from lower-paying gateway jobs into better-paying occupations contain tasks with significant AI exposure.

And workers themselves need to remain part of the conversation.

State Senator Jessica Ramos put that issue plainly, saying the measure of success cannot simply be how quickly technology is adopted. She said workers should have a meaningful voice in determining what comes next.

The Debate Is About Who Benefits From AI

Artificial intelligence is often discussed as a competition between innovation and worker protection.

That may be the wrong choice.

Technology can improve productivity, create businesses and make some jobs easier. It can also shift bargaining power, eliminate certain tasks and create economic pressure for people who do not have the money, education or flexibility to quickly move into another field.

Both realities deserve attention.

New York’s FutureWorks Commission will ultimately be judged not by the number of meetings it holds but by whether its recommendations produce practical ways for workers to adapt and prosper.

The listening sessions are an important beginning because the people experiencing workplace changes can often identify problems long before they appear clearly in government statistics.

For Central New York workers, educators, employers and small-business owners, this is a conversation worth following.

AI’s future in New York should not be shaped exclusively inside technology companies, corporate boardrooms or government offices. Workers who will use these systems every day should have a seat at the table.

The FutureWorks Commission plans to deliver its recommendations by the end of the year. New Yorkers should pay attention to those recommendations and ask a simple question when they arrive:

Will the benefits of artificial intelligence reach the people whose work is helping build that future?

Sources

New York State Governor’s Office, Aug. 19, 2026, announcement of the FutureWorks Commission listening sessions.

New York State Governor’s Office, May 18, 2026, announcement of the commission’s 20-member membership and leadership.

New York State Governor’s Office, March 19, 2026, launch of FutureWorks and AI workforce-training initiatives.

Brookings Institution research on worker adaptability, career pathways and AI exposure.

International Labour Organization research on generative AI and occupational exposure.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projections for administrative occupations.