China issued 18-point plan to shield workers from AI job losses

Key facts

• China's 18-point plan directs officials to assess job risks before approving high-impact AI projects, according to the report.
• The plan urges companies to give employees advance notice of AI-driven job changes and transition support, per the report.
• The General Office of the State Council released the guidelines, the report said, to shift policy toward encouraging AI to create jobs.

China issued an 18-point plan aimed at cushioning workers from job losses caused by artificial intelligence, in a report that did not date the event. The guidelines direct officials to assess job risks before approving high-impact AI projects. They also urge companies to give employees advance notice and transition support.

The plan was released by the General Office of the State Council, according to the report. Its stated intent is to move policy from responding to layoffs after they happen toward encouraging AI to create jobs, upgrade existing work and limit displacement.

The report carried no publication date and described the release only as recent. It was available to subscribers only, and the full text of the guidelines was not included.