California’s Governor to Sign A.I. Order Aimed at Protecting Workers

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, plans to issue an executive order on Thursday to explore a broad overhaul of labor policies, an attempt to front run a potential mass job displacement caused by artificial intelligence.

Mr. Newsom, a Democrat, will sign the order mandating state agencies work with academics, labor groups and the A.I. industry to study how to subsidize companies that keep employees rather than replace them with the technology.

The order calls for an expansion of job training programs, particularly for white-collar workers like customer service representatives, software developers, and marketing and sales people whose roles are expected to be eliminated by A.I. Mr. Newsom also ordered an examination of universal basic capital, which would give all residents stakes in assets like corporate stocks, bonds or wealth funds.

Unemployment insurance and other traditional safeguards will not suffice, Mr. Newsom has said. A.I. leaders have warned him of swift and major changes in employment, where entire job categories are at risk of extinction — particularly for white-collar workers.

“California has never sat back and watched as the future happened to us — and we won’t start now,” Mr. Newsom said in a news release. “But we must think bigger. This moment demands that we reimagine the entire system — how we work, how we govern, how we prepare people for the future.”

Mr. Newsom’s executive order, the first of its kind to be signed by a U.S. governor, reflects a growing global angst. Fears about A.I. have prompted a fierce debate over how best to help individuals transition into new careers or help those facing extended unemployment.