Press conference in Raleigh to demand AI guardrails, worker protections

Press Conference to Demand A.I. Safeguards and Worker Protections

The National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNU), recognized as the largest union and professional association for registered nurses in the U.S., is set to hold a press conference on Friday, July 24, 2026, in Raleigh, North Carolina. The event aims to urge state authorities to establish robust safeguards and protections for workers against artificial intelligence (A.I.). Notably, the union is advocating for a statewide halt on data centers and the implementation of enforceable measures ensuring that healthcare decisions remain primarily in the hands of medical professionals, with the ability for nurses and healthcare providers to override A.I. outputs.

This call to action comes as a reaction to the “A.I. Strategic Roadmap” from the North Carolina A.I. Leadership Council. The roadmap, according to NNU, other unions, and community activists, falls short in offering adequate protection for both workers and patients against A.I. technology. Hannah Drummond, RN, was the lone dissenting voice on the council, arguing that its recommendations did not meet necessary objectives.

“As nurses, we have the power, the authority, and the responsibility to build a future that ensures future generations can find meaningful work, secure livelihoods that will support themselves and their families, and receive health care from caring humans who are there at the bedside when patients are in need,” stated Hannah Drummond, RN, and member of the North Carolina A.I. Leadership Council. “This is why union nurses with National Nurses United demand that North Carolina’s lawmakers pass common sense guardrails on A.I.”

Event Details

What: Press Conference demanding A.I. protections in North Carolina

Who: National Nurses United, American Association of University Professors NC, UE - Local 150, North Carolina Data Center Network

When: Friday, July 24, 2026, 10 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Where: In front of the North Carolina General Assembly, 16 West Jones Street, Raleigh, N.C.

Speakers

• Hannah Drummond, RN – Member of North Carolina A.I. Leader Council and NNOC/NNU
• Darrion Smith – UE Local 150, North Carolina Public Service Workers Union
• Ajamu Dillahunt-Holloway Jr. – North Carolina Environmental Justice Network for the NC Data Center Network
• Belle Boggs – American Association of University Professors, North Carolina

NNOC/NNU is calling upon North Carolina’s elected representatives, both at the state and local levels, to:

• Implement a moratorium on new data centers until enforceable protections are legally established to safeguard patients, workers, nursing, and democracy from A.I.
• Adopt practical safeguards for A.I. in healthcare and workplaces, including:

  • Ensuring A.I. systems are verified as safe and effective before their deployment in patient care.
  • Preserving the clinical judgment of nurses, ensuring human healthcare workers oversee patient care decisions.
  • Preventing A.I. and associated data centers from increasing utility costs, harming communities, or damaging the environment.

“The U.S. labor movement must be prepared to fight for A.I. to be used to improve people’s lives, not to drive mass unemployment, climate disaster, war, and increased profits for the ultrarich,” emphasized Darrion Smith, UE, Local 150.

National Nurses United represents over 225,000 members nationwide and is the fastest-growing union and professional association for registered nurses in the United States. Its affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.

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