Who is building CAWS, and the work underway in its founding phase.
CAWS was founded by Patrick Hassan. He built the first AI governance framework for a national labor union, and that work brought the gap into focus. People in every kind of workplace, unionized or not, need cross-sector, vendor-neutral, and non-affiliated infrastructure to meet AI on their own terms. CAWS is built to provide it.
He came to that work through nine years at USAID, leading humanitarian and emergency response programs in some of the hardest operating conditions in the world. The through line is how institutions make decisions under pressure, and what happens to the people left exposed when those institutions fail. He started out in Peace Corps Mongolia, living in a ger among yak herders for two years, having studied International Relations and Music at American University and graduated in 2013.
CAWS is developing a first cross-sector assessment of where workers need standing, information, and capacity to evaluate AI at work, built on original data gathered directly from workers.
Building a worker-centered framework for evaluating workplace AI tools before and during deployment.
In active conversation with labor organizations, safety professionals, researchers, and funders across industries.
Running pilot deliveries of its worker training through fall 2026 with worker organizations, employers, and public programs. See the courses.
Last updated August 2026
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