Securing workers’ rights in the AI revolution [Promoted content]

Business leaders, policymakers, academia and industry experts discussed the impact of AI on the world of work at the European Employment & Social Rights Forum.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the way we work, with research projecting it will deliver a €6.5 trillion increase in annual global GDP over the next decade. However, alongside unprecedented opportunities for innovation and growth, there are concerns over workers’ rights and job security.

This raises the question of how to harness AI to deliver benefits, while also protecting society – including workers – from its potentially harmful effects.

“AI means changes, but not necessarily bad changes,” said Joost Korte, the European Commission’s Director-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. He spoke at the second edition of the European Employment & Social Rights Forum, which took place on 16-17 November in Brussels and online, under the theme ‘AI and the world of work’.

The Forum brought together a diverse panel of 74 speakers and explored the responsible harnessing of AI to ensure that technological advancements do not comprise workers’ rights.

“In the fast-changing world of work, we should always value innovation and performance, but we must also continue to protect workers with the right regulatory framework. We need to prevent abusive practices and ensure that the human remains in control,” said Mr Korte.

 How to shape the future

Despite much debate over the impact of AI on working life, making accurate predictions remains challenging.

Nobel laureate in economics Professor Christopher Pissarides suggested to look at the enablers for a successful integration of AI in the world of work, arguing that countries that score high on issues such as social support for workers “can use AI beneficially to create good jobs and better lives”. At the same time, he noted, “the US and China are way ahead in terms of preparedness for AI, but they dismally fail on social support. So, I would not say they create good jobs.”

Most speakers at the Forum agreed that this uncertainty highlights a clear need for proactive government regulation of AI to protect workers as technology advances.

The EU is already pioneering efforts to shape rules for the development and use of AI, according to Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Internal Market. In 2021, he presented the Commission’s proposal for the AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive AI legislation.

“Setting clear rules doesn’t slow down innovation. On the contrary, it provides guidelines for investment. Our goal is to ensure that our values are preserved and included in this AI revolution,” said Commissioner Breton.

A ‘human-centric’ approach

A similar approach is needed when it comes to the use of AI at work, and many participants at the European Employment & Social Rights Forum advocated for a ‘human-centric’ approach to both AI innovation and regulation.

“It is necessary to ensure that impactful decisions are still made by a human,” said Annette Bernhardt, Director of the Technology and Work programme at the UC Berkeley Labor Center.

It is also key for workers to have a say in how changes to their roles might be managed. Esther Lynch, General Secretary for the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), said that keeping employees involved and invested in new processes is an important part of learning to work in harness with AI. “Workers want participation and discussion on change, and access to training. It’s necessary to enable frameworks to inform them,” she commented.

The main message running through the Forum was clear: No matter how advanced technology gets, human workers still hold the key, and they should be the main beneficiaries of technological advancement.

“With the new technologies such as ChatGPT, work can be more efficient, faster, facilitated, simplified,” said Nicolas Schmit – EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights. “But we also need to ensure that workers profit from each new breakthrough. The biggest challenge is to establish a system where the gains made out of AI are distributed fairly.”

Missed the European Employment & Social Rights Forum 2023? Catch up on the discussions: watch the wrap-up video and the recordings of the conference.