New England Biz Law Update

Artificial intelligence development is moving at a fast pace and the faster it moves, the more rapidly the courts will need to play catch up, according to some area lawyers, who add insight to the issue.

The very thing leaders wish away is the same thing that makes an operation exceptional. Invite it in. Give it direction. And suddenly, the breeze you crave isn’t because the people part vanished; it’s because it finally has a path to follow.

The 1st U.S. Circuit Court has upheld the dismissal of a Title VII sex discrimination complaint brought against the U.S. Navy by a probationary employee, finding the complaint to be “devoid of any assertions of facts that plausibly indicate a causal nexus between his sex and termination.”

Retaliation claims aren’t just about hurt feelings or workplace drama. Handled incorrectly, they can lead to serious legal consequences. Employers need to be proactive, not reactive, when handling employee complaints or accommodation requests.

Job openings fell to 7.4 million in June from 7.7 million in May, the U.S. Labor Department has reported, and the cooling labor market is expected to continue.

While organizations are seeing benefits from AI tools, those benefits must be carefully balanced with risk management.

Employers can now use the convenience of AI tools for many traditional human resources functions, including screening resumes and drafting performance reviews. However, employers should do so with caution, as the use of AI could implicate federal anti-discrimination laws.

In mid-May a federal judge cleared the way for a nationwide class action against Workday, finding that its AI-driven hiring tools may have unfairly screened out applicants older than 40.

The small business labor market has remained stable with minimal changes observed through the first half of 2025, according to the Paychex Small Business Employment Watch.

AI is no longer a distant promise out of science fiction. It’s here and already beginning to transform industries. But despite the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on developing AI models and platforms, adoption remains slow for many employees.