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In
notices dated Jan. 3, the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission rejected requests by the iPhone maker and by the
entertainment giant to exclude from their upcoming annual
meetings calls for reports on their use of AI.
Corporations have embraced the new technology for its promised
efficiencies. But the trend has prompted fears it would replace
many creative and professional workers or unfairly draw on their
work, issues in recent Hollywood labor disputes and a recent New
York Times lawsuit.
The similar shareholder proposals were filed by a pension trust
of the AFL-CIO, the largest American labor union federation,
which also has AI measures pending at four other technology
companies.
At Apple, the group asked for a report on the company's use of
AI "in its business operations and disclose any ethical
guidelines that the company has adopted regarding the company’s
use of AI technology." In a similar request, it also asked
Disney to report on its board's role overseeing AI usage.
In its supporting statement at Apple the AFL-CIO wrote that "AI
systems should not be trained on copyrighted works, or the
voices, likenesses and performances of professional performers,
without transparency, consent and compensation to creators and
rights holders."
Brandon Rees, deputy director of the AFL-CIO's office of
investment, said the SEC's decisions could pave the way for
agreements with Apple and Disney that would only bring them into
line with the AI disclosures of other companies like Microsoft.
Apple and Disney, in contrast, "haven't even begun to grapple
with these ethical issues" around AI, Rees said.
Apple and Disney did not immediately responded to requests for
comment.
Both companies had argued the proposals could be left off their
ballots because they related to "ordinary business operations,"
such as the company's choice of technologies.
The SEC disagreed. "In our view, the Proposal transcends
ordinary business matters and does not seek to micromanage the
Company," the agency wrote in separate letters.
(Reporting by Ross Kerber; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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