(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - TIME has named National AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler to the 2026 TIME100 AI, a list recognizing the 100 most influential people in Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

Shuler has led the Labor Movement’s response to ensure Workers have a voice in how AI’s development and implementation affect their livelihoods.

Under her leadership, Labor Unions have won key protections in contracts related to the implementation of AI technology on the job and advanced Pro-Worker AI policy in Congress and in State Legislatures. 

Said Shuler: “I am honored to be included in this year’s TIME100 AI list - a recognition that belongs to every Worker fighting for fair, safe and equitable jobs in the face of the AI revolution. We’re at the most important fork in the road our economy has faced in a hundred years. There is no Worker and no industry this does not touch and every job is now a technology job. But the Labor Movement has been here for every transformation of our economy and we will build a future that works for all of us. Thank you to the team at TIME for recognizing Labor’s essential role in the conversation about how we get there.”

Shuler founded the National AFL-CIO Technology Institute in 2021 to ensure Working People’s knowledge, expertise and interests are centered in the Innovation Economy and that technological change benefits Workers, not just the wealthy and corporations.

Under her leadership, the National AFL-CIO and its Tech Institute have convened experts in policy, Labor Law and organizing, and worked with Affiliated Unions to develop the “Workers First Initiative on AI,” the first comprehensive Labor Movement agenda establishing principles on AI technology.

They also convened the National AFL-CIO’s AI Task Force to fight for common-sense, strong AI guardrails at the State and local levels.

To assemble the list, TIME’s Editors and Reporters examined the key stories in AI over the past year and consulted with expert sources and industry leaders for recommendations - the result is a list of 100 leaders, innovators, shapers and thinkers who have a stake in the future of AI. 

National AFL-CIO Editor’s Note: The TIME100 AI 2026 will appear in the September 7th issue of TIME, which were available on newsstands beginning Friday (August 28th). See the full list here: https://time.com/collection/time100-ai/2026/  

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Photo Courtesy Of TIME/The National AFL-CIO.