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The report proposes human review of employment decisions and consent for digital replacements, while distinguishing AI exposure from actual job loss.
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MECEP’s report frames AI at work as a question of who controls the gains and bears the costs, not as proof that widespread job losses have already arrived in Maine. It urges lawmakers to require layoff reporting, curb surveillance and automated employment decisions, and expand income and retraining support. The recommendations give employers and policymakers a concrete agenda to watch as adoption grows, while the report cautions that exposure to AI does not establish that a job will disappear.
In mid-2026, one in four employed Mainers used AI at work several times a week; 55% of users said it increased their productivity, based on self-reports.
A May 2026 survey found 70% of Mainers expected AI to reduce jobs over the next decade, though most workplace AI users did not consider their own jobs at risk.
A Maine-based journalist told MECEP that checking AI-generated news stories took about 90 minutes, versus 20–30 minutes for reporter-written stories, citing errors and plagiarism.
Maine should require employers to disclose AI-related layoffs and put limits on workplace automation, the Maine Center for Economic Policy argues in a report published October 22. Its starting point is not a finding of mass displacement: the report finds no evidence yet of broad AI-driven unemployment in the state.
State of Working Maine 2026: Protecting Workers from Artificial Intelligence, by MECEP senior economic policy analyst James Myall, urges lawmakers to act without predicting AI’s exact trajectory. It identifies warning signs in technology firms, call centers, early-career work and particular communities, alongside risks to privacy, pay and bargaining power.
The report separates the possibility that AI can affect an occupation from a prediction that its workers will lose their jobs. AI may help people do their work, replace particular tasks or entire jobs, or increase company profits without raising pay. MECEP argues that policy choices and workers’ bargaining power will shape who receives those gains.
In mid-2026, one in four employed Mainers used AI at work multiple times a week, according to figures in the report detailed by WMTW. Among AI users, 55% reported increased productivity—a measure of their experience, not independently measured output.
A May 2026 survey cited in the report found that 70% of Mainers expected AI’s growth to mean fewer jobs over the next decade. Most people using AI at work did not consider their own jobs at risk, although one-quarter thought they were likely to lose their job to AI within that period.
Margaret, a journalist working remotely from Maine, shared her experience as part of the report. In testimony published by MECEP, she said AI-generated short news stories took about an hour and a half to check, compared with 20 or 30 minutes when reporters wrote them. She attributed the extra work to checking mistakes and plagiarism.
I am not opposed to the use of AI. I am opposed to the way my company is using it. I am opposed to it being unregulated and unchecked.
Margaret, a Maine-based journalist, in testimony published by MECEP
The report also targets the incentives behind automation. It recommends removing tax incentives that reward replacing workers with machines and taxing AI-driven profits and digital services fairly.
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