Using Generative AI for Employment Advice and Interpretations

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools are becoming part of everyday life. Increasingly, teachers are using AI platforms to seek advice on employment concerns, collective agreement language or potential grievances. While these tools can help organize information or draft basic communications, they are not reliable sources of labour relations advice or collective agreement interpretation. 

AI systems do not understand Alberta’s specific educational context, local bargaining history or the practical realities that shape how collective agreement language is applied. In some cases, AI tools may confidently provide information that is incomplete, incorrect or entirely fabricated. Members should exercise caution before relying on AI-generated advice about their employment. 

When in doubt, contact Teacher Employment Membership Support (TEMS) at 1-800-232-7208 for support and interpretation grounded in the actual collective agreement, bargaining history, legislation and arbitral principles. 
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Keep reading for important information about your rights, responsibilities, and potential risks.

WORTH KNOWING
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as generative AI platforms and large language models (LLMs), are rapidly becoming part of daily life. These systems can summarize information, draft responses, answer questions and produce content in seconds. As workloads increase and time pressures mount, it is understandable that some teachers may turn to these tools for quick answers to employment concerns, collective agreement language or workplace disputes.p 2 Teacher Employment Membership Support (TEMS) staff are increasingly encountering situations in which members have used AI tools to seek “advice” on employment matters or to request an “interpretation” of collective agreement language. In some cases, members have relied on AI-generated responses when deciding whether to raise concerns with administration, file grievances or challenge employer decisions.

While AI tools may appear knowledgeable and authoritative, there are significant risks in relying on them for labour relations advice or for interpreting collective agreements.

Collective agreements are not interpreted in isolation. Their meaning is often shaped by bargaining history, arbitral jurisprudence, past practice, local conditions and the broader industrial relations context in which the language is used. AI systems lack this contextual understanding. Instead, they generate responses based on language patterns in the data they were trained on. As a result, an AI tool may produce an answer that sounds persuasive and confident yet is incomplete, inaccurate, misleading or entirely fabricated.

This issue is commonly called a hallucination. AI systems can fabricate arbitration decisions, misquote agreement language or incorrectly assert that certain rights or obligations exist when they do not. Because these responses are often polished and authoritative, inaccuracies may be difficult to identify without expertise in labour relations or collective agreement interpretation.

AI systems also struggle with nuance. A single word, a punctuation change or an interaction between clauses can significantly alter the meaning of collective agreement language. Interpretation often requires considering how multiple provisions work together and how the language has been applied in practice. AI tools frequently miss these relationships or fail to recognize contradictions within an agreement.

There are also significant confidentiality and privacy concerns. When members enter employment information, medical details or disciplinary matters into public AI systems or use them to draft grievances or correspondence, that information may leave the member’s control. Depending on the platform, the information entered may be stored, reviewed or used to further train the AI model. Members should assume that information entered into public AI tools is no longer private or confidential.

Unlike communications with ATA staff or legal counsel, conversations with AI systems are not protected by solicitor–client privilege or labour relations confidentiality protections.

This does not mean AI tools have no place in professional practice. AI may be useful for administrative or organizational tasks, such as
• summarizing lengthy documents,
• organizing timelines,
• drafting straightforward correspondence,
• generating meeting questions,
• improving grammar or readability or
• assisting with brainstorming.

However, AI-generated content should never be treated as authoritative advice on employment rights, collective agreement interpretation, discipline, evaluation, accommodation or grievance matters.

Collective agreement interpretation is often highly fact specific. What applies in one situation, school or division may not apply in another. Even language that appears straightforward can have a long history of interpretation or application that is not apparent from the text alone.

Members with questions about collective agreement interpretation, assignable or instructional time, evaluation, discipline, accommodations, leaves, supervision, grievances or other employment-related concerns are encouraged to contact TEMS directly at 1-800-232-7208 for advice and support.

When employment rights, professional obligations or collective agreement issues arise, members should rely on qualified human advice grounded in Alberta labour relations practice, the collective agreement and the specific facts of their situation.

To view previous Worth Knowing documents, please visit this link.