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Artificial intelligence has slowly woven itself into the fabric of industries across the globe, and human resources is no exception. Engagement surveys and pulse feedback, recognition engines, performance scoring, and even general employee sentiment monitoring are ripe for AI to make waves. 2026 won’t be a free-for-all, though. HR teams are tasked with deploying AI in a responsible way.

WorkTango has examined the key data and policies from leading organizations and reports, including the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protections, Employment Discrimination and AI for Workers (EEOC), the U.S. Department of Labor, McKinsey, and more. The results show that HR leaders are under increasing pressure to innovate with AI without crossing legal and ethical boundaries. This practitioner’s playbook for integrating AI into HR workflows can help you revamp your organization via actionable checklists, vetting questions, policy templates, and a blueprint for safer AI governance.

Understanding the regulatory landscape

Artificial intelligence is a technology still in its infancy, with many states enacting regulations created to monitor it, even as the federal government pushes back against AI regulations. Before building an HR and AI joint program, you need to understand the guardrails you may face.

These aren’t just abstract guidelines. Violating them carries the risk of audits, penalties, and litigation, so ensuring compliance is absolutely crucial.

NYC Local Law 144: The first binding U.S. AI employment law

New York City’s Automated Employment Decision Tools law became the first binding U.S. AI hiring regulation in existence. Enforcement officially began back in mid-2023. This law primarily requires:

• Independent annual bias audits to be made publicly available.
• Disclosure to candidates and employees about the AI tools used.
• Notice before use of AI systems.

Even organizations that don’t operate in New York City have since developed similar laws or standards, primarily because the law outlines concrete and enforceable policies to regulate artificial intelligence. The broader NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection maintains compliance guidelines and can be referenced for businesses operating within the boundaries of the state.

Federal guidance and enforcement

On Dec. 11, the Trump administration announced an executive order to remove barriers for the AI industry, including those set by states. However, as the Brennan Center for Justice notes, the Constitution does not allow the president to stop states from taking these measures.

The executive order states that the administration will work with Congress to enact a single national s

Compartés

Every February, millions of Americans walk into stores or scroll through gift guides, hoping to find something that feels personal enough, sweet enough, and special enough to say “I love you.” For all the jewelry ads and dinner reservations, one gift outsells the rest by far: chocolate.

According to the National Confectioners Association, approximately 92% of Americans plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day with chocolate or candy. That’s not a trend. That’s tradition.

“There is no pair more perfect than Valentine’s Day and candy,” says John Downs, president and CEO of the NCA. “Year after year, people across the country turn to chocolate and candy to show their affection for others, creating lasting memories and spreading joy through simple, heartfelt gestures.”

But why chocolate? And more specifically, how did the heart-shaped box become the definitive Valentine’s gift — outshining roses, handwritten notes, and even candlelit dinners? To answer that, Compartés combed through a century of romance, marketing, and cultural nostalgia.

Origins: A Victorian Packaging Innovation

Long before it filled red satin boxes, chocolate was considered a “love food.” For centuries, it was a luxury reserved for royalty and elites. Aztec and Mayan societies used cacao beans as currency and served chocolate drinks at weddings and celebrations.

By the 1600s and 1700s, European aristocrats were drinking it daily. But it wasn’t until the Victorian era that chocolate became something you could hold, bite into, and share. Richard Cadbury, a British chocolatier using excess cocoa butter from his family’s new process, had an idea.

Around the 1860s, he introduced one of the first heart-shaped boxes filled with what he called “eating chocolates.” The packaging was part of the appeal. Ornate and sentimental, these boxes were designed to be reused for keepsakes like love letters and locks of hair long after the chocolates were gone.

“This was the Victorian age,” says Malcolm Purinton, food historian at Northeastern University. “Cadbury’s wasn’t just selling the chocolate; they were selling the box.”

And as chocolate became more accessible and Valentine’s Day gained traction as a gifting holiday, the heart box quietly laid the foundation for one of the most successful seasonal marketing designs in history.

The Spread and Cultural Takeover

Cadbury never patented the design, which turned out to be a gift to the

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN

(CNN) — Laura F. Dogu, the United States’ new top envoy to Venezuela, arrived in Caracas on Saturday as the Trump administration aims to reopen an embassy there for the first time in nearly seven years.

“I just arrived in Venezuela. My team and I are ready to work,” Dogu said in a social media post. It included two photos of the new envoy getting off a plane and walking on the tarmac.

In response to a request for comment on how long Dogu will be staying in the country, a State Department official said, “She will work with individuals from the private and public sector, as well as civic society, to advance the President and Secretary’s three-phased plan for Venezuela.”

Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yván Gil Pinto celebrated Dogu’s arrival, saying in a social media post that he welcomes her “as part of the working agenda” between the US and Venezuela governments “aimed at establishing a roadmap for work on matters of bilateral interest, as well as addressing and resolving existing differences through diplomatic dialogue and on the basis of mutual respect and international law.”

Dogu is the chargé d’affaires to the US Venezuela Affairs Unit, which is based in Colombia.

Her arrival comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a Senate hearing on Wednesday that Dogu would “ultimately” lead from Caracas and that the US would establish a diplomatic presence in Venezuela “very quickly.”

Earlier this week, the State Department informed Congress that it plans to use a “phased approach” to potentially resume services at the embassy, which could include opening a temporary facility.

The CIA is also working to establish a permanent US presence on the ground in Venezuela, CNN exclusively reported earlier this week.

Following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month, the US has looked to establish and expand its footprint in the country. President Donald Trump said in the aftermath of Maduro’s ouster that his administration would “run” the country and assert control over its oil production.

Trump said Thursday that the US would be “opening up” the commercial airspace above Venezuela, even though it is not technically considered closed.

Venezuela’s acting government, led by former Maduro deputy Delcy Rodríguez, has recently made moves favorable to Washington, including approving a law change that will make it easier for foreign companies to take part in the country’s oil industry.

Rodríguez this week also proposed an amnesty law that could lead to the release of hundreds of political prisoners and announced the closure of a notorious detention center. US authorities said the same day that Venezuela had released all known US citizens held in the country. The Trump administration has demanded the release of all political prisoners.

Dogu is a veteran diplomat who previously served as the ambassador to Honduras and Nicaragua. She also currently serves as a foreign policy advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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Por Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN

El presidente Donald Trump dijo este sábado que instruyó a la secretaria de Seguridad Nacional, Kristi Noem, a no intervenir en protestas o disturbios en ciudades gobernadas por demócratas a menos que las autoridades locales soliciten formalmente asistencia, en medio de críticas por las estrictas tácticas federales de control migratorio.

“He instruido a la secretaria de Seguridad Nacional, Kristi Noem, que bajo ninguna circunstancia vamos a participar en varias ciudades demócratas mal gestionadas en lo que respecta a sus protestas y/o disturbios a menos, y hasta que, nos pidan ayuda”, escribió Trump en Truth Social.

“Sin embargo, protegeremos, y de manera muy enérgica, todos los edificios federales que sean atacados por estos lunáticos, agitadores e insurrectos altamente pagados”, agregó.

CNN ha contactado a la Casa Blanca y al Departamento de Seguridad Nacional para obtener más detalles sobre el anuncio de Trump.

El anuncio se produce tras las muertes de Alex Pretti y Renee Good en Minneapolis, que han transformado la conversación nacional sobre la aplicación de las leyes migratorias y parecen haber provocado un cambio de tono en la Casa Blanca en los últimos días.

Trump advirtió que no se tolerarán ataques contra los agentes, vehículos policiales o daños a la propiedad federal, prometiendo “consecuencias iguales o mayores” para quienes lo hagan. Trump también dijo que los gobiernos estatales y locales son responsables de proteger su propia propiedad, así como la federal, y que el Gobierno federal solo actuará como respaldo.

El presidente citó un incidente en Oregon, donde afirmó que manifestantes irrumpieron en un edificio federal, dañaron la propiedad y acosaron a empleados, mientras la policía local no intervino. “¡No vamos a permitir que eso vuelva a suceder!”, escribió Trump.

Trump dijo que la asistencia federal se proporcionaría rápidamente si fuera solicitada, pero que los estados debían usar la palabra “por favor”.

“Recuerden que advertí, en los términos más enérgicos, que ICE, la Patrulla Fronteriza o, si fuera necesario, nuestras Fuerzas Armadas, serán extremadamente enérgicas y firmes en la protección de nuestra propiedad federal”, escribió Trump.

Trump también ha amenazado con invocar la Ley de Insurrección, que otorga al presidente poderes extraordinarios para desplegar a las Fuerzas Armadas y sofocar disturbios internos.

Los comentarios del presidente se producen cuando se esperan manifestaciones durante el fin de semana y después de un paro nacional en protesta por la ofensiva federal de aplicación de las leyes migratorias el viernes.

Noticia en desarrollo…

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By Ray Sanchez, Whitney Wild, CNN

(CNN) — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Saturday signed an executive order directing city police to investigate and document alleged misconduct by federal immigration officers with an eye toward prosecution.

“We are putting ICE on notice in our city. Chicago will not sit idly by while Trump floods federal agents into our communities and terrorizes our residents,” Johnson said in a statement, referring to President Donald Trump’s controversial immigration enforcement efforts around the country.

The move comes as nine local district attorneys launched a coalition this week to assist in prosecuting federal law enforcement officers who violate state laws, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed legislation, which would prohibit cooperation agreements between local police departments and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Tensions between Washington and the leaders of progressive US cities have mounted since the deadly and chaotic federal immigration crackdown in Minneapolis resulted in the fatal shooting last weekend of Alex Pretti, the second Minnesotan to be killed by federal agents in the state this year. The deaths of Pretti and Renee Good on January 7 have transformed the heated national debate on immigration enforcement.

“We need to send a clear message: If the federal government will not hold these rogue actors accountable, then Chicago will do everything in our power to bring these agents to justice,” Johnson said shortly before signing the so-called “Ice On Notice” executive order.

“This executive order will make Chicago the first city in the country to set the groundwork to prosecute ICE and Border Patrol agents for criminal misconduct,” the mayor said.

The order directs the Chicago Police Department to document federal enforcement actions, preserve body-camera footage, attempt to identify the federal supervisory officer on scene of an incident, complete a report on the alleged misconduct and immediately summon emergency medical services, according to Johnson.

“In the event of illegal misconduct by federal immigration agents, CPD supervisors will preserve evidence of the incident and … make a referral of felony matters to the Cook County State’s Attorney,” the mayor said in a statement.

CNN has reached out to the Chicago Police Department and Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for comment.

John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, in an email dismissed the executive order as a “piece of toilet paper” and “more political bluster from City Hall.”

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, in an email response Saturday to Johnson’s call to action, said “claims of criminal misconduct by ICE law enforcement are FALSE.”

DHS, which includes ICE a