From Nasdaq:

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ruled that Apple and Disney cannot avoid shareholder votes on their use of artificial intelligence. Calls for reports on their use of AI at their upcoming annual meetings were rejected by the SEC. Corporations embrace AI for its efficiencies, but labor groups have concerns about its impact on workers.

The AFL-CIO, the largest American labor union federation, filed similar shareholder proposals at Apple and Disney for reports on their use of AI. They asked Apple for a report on the company’s use of AI and ethical guidelines, and for Disney to report on its board’s role overseeing AI usage. The AFL-CIO emphasized the importance of transparency, consent, and compensation for creators and rights holders.

The AFL-CIO believes the SEC’s decisions could lead to agreements with Apple and Disney that would align them with AI disclosures of other companies. The labor group claims that Apple and Disney have not addressed the ethical issues around AI, stating that they “haven’t even begun to grapple with these ethical issues” around AI. However, Apple and Disney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Apple and Disney argued that the proposals could be left off their ballots because they related to “ordinary business operations.” The SEC disagreed, stating that the proposal transcends ordinary business matters and does not seek to micromanage the company. Both companies will have to include the AI proposals on their ballots.



Read more: US regulator denies Apple, Disney bids to skip votes on AI