Corporate America’s relationship with DEI has been hot and cold.

The US has a decades-long history with DEI. Following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, many companies established or renewed efforts to rectify racial inequalities in their workplaces. But since then, some of those same companies have changed course, as the political and social tides have turned.

“Everyone invested in 2020. Everyone wanted to stand on a podium to say, ‘This is what we believe in,’ but I believe that the fallout happened because those efforts weren’t real. They weren’t authentic,” said Rita Parker, chief diversity and inclusion officer at information management firm Access.

Parker started in an operations role at Access in January 2020. When the Peabody, Massachusetts-based company with over 2,700 employees created a new diversity and inclusion leader role in 2022, Parker said she quickly raised her hand.

“Our CEO, at the time, decided, ‘Hey, I’m going to put a stake in the ground to show people we are all about diversity,’” she told HR Brew. “I decided I would raise my hand to do something totally different, because I have a passion for people. I’ve led people all of my career, and I have a passion for people feeling valued and included.”

For more on how Parker is sustaining DEI efforts at Access, keep reading here.—MC

In recent years a number of states have moved to rein in AI by passing laws that regulate usage of the technology in different facets of everyday life, including the workplace. President Donald Trump’s administration is seeking to weaken this legislation, but any major changes to the regulatory landscape would likely require Congress to act.

Push for a “national policy framework.” The president criticized the current regulatory landscape for AI regulation in a Dec. 11 executive order. The current patchwork of state and local laws, he said, “makes compliance more challenging, particularly for start-ups.” He also called out certain laws for “ideological bias,” singling out Colorado’s algorithmic discrimination law, which was passed in 2024 but hasn’t yet taken effect.

The executive order calls on the attorney general to develop an AI Litigation Task Force to review state AI laws and flag any deemed unconstitutional, unlawful, or preempted by federal regulations. States that don’t comply with the order may lose federal funding to develop broadband networks. Trump is also calling on White House officials to recommend legislation for a uniform federal AI policy that would preempt state laws.

What this means for HR. While a national AI policy could potentially reduce compliance headaches for HR pros currently working to comply with rules across different jurisdictions, the road to passing such legislation in Congress looks long.

For more on what HR needs to know about a potential national AI policy, keep reading here.—CV

In 2025, the Trump administration targeted the IT industry’s use of the H-1B visa program. Companies were subjected to a $100,000 one-time fee for sponsoring a potential employee, and contractors relying on the visa received additional scrutiny.

In 2026, things aren’t likely to settle down, according to experts, who anticipate issues over the cap exemption criteria changes, a weighted selection for the H-1B lottery, and additional scrutiny of third-party work sites.

Cecilia Esterline, a senior immigration policy analyst at the Niskanen Center, a bipartisan thinktank in Washington, DC, told IT Brew that all of the proposed changes to the H-1B are concerning, and may reduce employers’ willingness to sponsor an employee from overseas.

“Now there’s this uncertainty and unpredictability that has been introduced into an otherwise somewhat predictable program,” Esterline said.

For more on what to expect from H-1B changes in 2026, keep reading on IT Brew.—CN

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