The Corvallis Chamber of Commerce will offer members and guests the opportunity to learn more about the legal implications of Artificial Intelligence, or AI, in the workplace and recent legislative developments in labor law. The program is presented by Corvallis attorney John Barlow, a local expert in employment law.
AI is already fundamentally transforming the workplace, making it more efficient, innovative, and productive. But the use of AI in hiring practices has raised legal and ethical concerns that companies must carefully navigate.
From a legal standpoint, employers need to be cautious about making employment decisions based on protected categories or private information, which can leave them susceptible to legal action.
And it’s not just the employer.
Some employees will use AI tools independently, regardless of their leaders’ assessments of overall company readiness. Organizations should bridge this perception gap as quickly as possible, actively working to foster trust and ensure that both leaders and employees are navigating the AI landscape together.
Barlow will discuss the impact of AI on businesses and other aspects of employment law during the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce’s lunch forum on Wednesday, May 22. The event is scheduled from noon to 1:30 pm at Trysting Tree Golf Course, and the admission cost is $25 for members and $35 for nonmembers. To register, go to corvallischamber.com/chamber-forum.
John Barlow is a partner at Barnhisel, Barlow, Stephens & Smith and a graduate of Stanford Law School. His practice focuses on employer-employee relations including preparation of employee manuals, handbooks, contracts, non-competition and non-disclosure agreements; state court litigation of employee claims; contested complaints before Employment, Wage and Hour, and Civil Rights Divisions of Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries.
For more information about the event or any other inquiries, please contact Christy Wood at christy@corvallischamber.com or 541-757-1505.
OBI Announces Second ‘Coolest Thing Made in Oregon’ Contest
Oregon Business & Industry, in partnership with Here is Oregon, has announce its second annual Coolest Thing Made in Oregon contest, in which Oregonians will vote for the coolest thing manufactured in the Beaver State. Finalists will be chosen from a list of products nominated by the public to appear in a bracket-style tournament, and four rounds of voting will produce a winner. The winning manufacturer will receive formal recognition and, more importantly, enjoy bragging rights for producing Oregon’s coolest thing.
The window to nominate products will remain open until July 12. The 16 finalists will be announced in September, and the winner will be announced at OBI’s Vision Oregon Event on Oct. 23. Nominations can be made here.
Developing a list of finalists won’t be easy. Oregon’s manufacturing sector employs more than 214,000 people in Oregon and contributes $33 billion annually to the state’s gross domestic product, according to a 2021 ECONorthwest study funded by OBI. You don’t get numbers like this without manufacturing a lot of things, in terms of both volume and variety.
Oregon’s manufacturing sector has helped make the state an export powerhouse. As noted in OBI’s inaugural Oregon Competitiveness Book, the per-capita value of Oregon’s exports was the nation’s third highest in 2022. Oregon exports more than $8,000 in goods for every one of the state’s residents. The value of Oregon’s exports topped $34 billion in 2022.
Manufacturing pays well, too. On a per-hour basis, manufacturing workers in Oregon made more than those in 39 states in 2021.
Freres Engineered Wood’s Mass Ply Panels won the inaugural Coolest Thing Made in Oregon contest. You can read about them here.
More information about the contest is available on OBI’s Coolest Thing Made in Oregon web page, which will feature all the updates.
To qualify for the contest, products must be manufactured substantially within Oregon and be legal to buy in all 50 states. Anyone can nominate a product, and manufacturers are encouraged to do so. Nobody knows how cool a product is more than the people who make it.
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