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Leveraging and Protecting the Workforce from Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Blueprint of Public Policy Priorities for the 119th Congress, 2025-2026

Decorative Blue Bar

Priority:

  • Protect the social work workforce from potential risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) while leveraging the benefits of AI to enhance service delivery

Initiative:

  • Federal Artificial Intelligence Commission

Goal: 

  • To establish a federal commission to evaluate the impacts of AI on the social work workforce, with a specific focus on healthcare and social work. The commission will provide legislative recommendations to ensure AI augments—rather than replaces—social workers, safeguarding their critical role in delivering human-centered care.

Background:

AI technologies are increasingly used in healthcare and social work to streamline administrative tasks, conduct risk assessments, and improve case management. The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) projects that by 2025, AI will manage over 85% of customer interactions in healthcare. While AI holds promise for improving efficiency, it also presents significant risks, including workforce displacement, as AI tools may be marketed as cost-saving alternatives, making social workers appear expendable; bias and inequities, as unregulated algorithms can perpetuate systemic inequities, especially in marginalized communities; and erosion of human connection, since AI lacks the empathy and cultural competence essential to social work’s person-centered approach. Ethical challenges also arise with AI, including risks to informed consent, client autonomy, confidentiality, and fairness. Without comprehensive regulation, social workers and the communities they serve are vulnerable to harm.

Recommendations:

Given these risks, NASW urges policymakers to:

  1. Establish a Federal Commission to study the deployment and impacts of AI in healthcare and social work; develop policy recommendations to ensure AI augments rather than replaces social workers; and advocate for ethical AI standards, including transparency and bias mitigation.
  2. Support workforce protections, including enacting policies to preserve social work positions and promote AI as a complementary tool.
  3. Promote ethical AI development, including requiring rigorous testing, fairness, and accountability in AI tools used in social services.

As AI continues to shape the future of healthcare and social work, it is essential to ensure that these technologies support—rather than replace—the social work profession. Establishing a federal commission will provide the necessary oversight to protect workforce integrity, promote ethical AI development, and safeguard the vital human connection at the core of social work. NASW urges policymakers to take proactive steps to regulate AI responsibly, ensuring it enhances service delivery while upholding the values of equity, transparency, and social justice.