The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is spearheading the debate around AI in the world of work, by holding two high-level events, taking part in the AI Action Summit and adopting key opinions on this burning issue.

The rollout of AI technology in the workplace will inevitably bring important changes with it and the EESC is tackling this topic head on: on 3 February, the EESC’s section on Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC) organised a joint high-level conference with the International Labour Organization (ILO) on Social Justice in the Digital Era – AIs Impact on Work and Society. Continuing its efforts, on 10 February, the EESC has held a conference in cooperation with and hosted by the French Economic, Environmental and Social Council (CESE) entitled: AI in the world of work: impacts on working conditions and jobs. This event was held as a side event to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit in Paris. Additionally, the EESC actively took part in one of the Summit’s workshops, reinforcing its commitment to shaping the future of AI in the workplace.

The Committee has also adopted important opinions on the topic of AI in the workplace which were presented during these events: Pro-worker AI: levers for harnessing the potential and mitigating the risks of AI (with an appended counter-opinion) and AI for public services, organisation of work and more equal and inclusive societies. The key findings of these opinions were presented and explored over the course of these three events.

Joint event with CESE and participation in the AI Action Summit

On 10 February, the EESC organised a side-event to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit hosted by France. Held in cooperation with and hosted by the French Economic, Environmental and Social Council (Conseil économique, social et environnemental – CESE), the event aimed to enrich the Summit’s discussions by bringing insights from organised civil society actors from France, across the EU, and beyond.

The President of CESE, Thierry Beaudet, highlighted in his opening statement that: «Before being a technological object, AI is a social and political topic, which cannot and must not replace the collective intelligence of the players concerned: workers, employers and citizens.«.

In his opening remarks, EESC President Oliver Röpke stated: «It is a pleasure to join forces with the CESE for this side event of the AI Summit. Artificial intelligence is transforming our workplaces and societies, bringing both immense opportunities and complex challenges. We must foster social dialogue and promote human centric AI to make sure that nobody is left behind.«

On the same day, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) also actively contributed to the AI Action Summit by participating in the workshop «AI WORKERS, robots». President Oliver Röpke took the stage as a speaker, while Franca Salis-Madinier, rapporteur, moderated the discussion. The workshop brought together key global stakeholders, including trade union leaders, CEOs, government representatives, and members of organised civil society. Participants exchanged insights and best practices on leveraging AI to enhance social dialogue and collective bargaining to empower workers’ skills, create quality jobs, boost productivity, and improve work-life balance. The discussions also focused on ensuring that AI strengthens job satisfaction, inclusivity, and overall working conditions.

AI as a driver of opportunity, innovation and fairness in the world of work

Key takeaways and messages were also expressed by EESC Members from the SOC section during the 3 February high-level conference and echoed during the 10 February AI Action Summit side-event.

SOC section President Cinzia Del Rio framed the debate by fleshing out the main issues at stake when dealing with AI in the workplace, stating: «In order to grasp the opportunities of AI the human-in-control principle in decision making processes should be ensured, involving social partners and CSOs in the algorithmic design and management, supported by a common regulatory framework, aiming at directing innovation and technology to be used for the benefit of all in a fair and inclusive manner.  The complementary role of collective bargaining and social dialogue is key to reach these objectives «.

Franca Salis-Madinier, rapporteur of the Pro-Worker AI opinion, introduced the 10 February side-event and stressed that: «The impact of AI on jobs is not predetermined and the strong involvement of workers and stronger social dialogue on AI is a gamechanger. We want machines to complement and empower humans, not replace them. Avoiding discrimination and inequalities and having people left behind should be our common commitment at international level for a just global digital transition.»

EESC Member of the Employers’ Group, Isabel Yglesias Julià, put forward the key points detailed in the counter-opinion to the Pro-Worker AI opinion, adding that: «By embracing AI responsibly, following the human-in-command principle, Europe can enhance competitiveness, drive scientific innovation, boost the green transition, and improve working conditions. And we already have the tools to embrace the AI revolution: the existing legal framework shall ensure the smooth deployment of AI so that it can be a motor for social, economic and technological progress in the EU.» 

Giovanni Marcantonio, Co-rapporteur of the AI in public services opinion, prepared together with the Rapporteur Giulia Barbucci, focused on the topic of algorithms possibly being biased during the joint ILO conference. He also moderated one of the sessions during the 10 February side-event, where he stated: «The EU’s approach to AI focuses on ethical guidelines, transparency and innovation, while ensuring a fair and sustainable labour market.»

Harnessing the potential and mitigating the risks of AI in the workplace

The Pro-Worker AI opinion was adopted by the EESC in January and presented during the two high-level events and featured heavily in discussions. A counter-opinion has also been appended to it. 

In the opinion, the EESC stresses that social dialogue and worker involvement play a crucial role in preserving workers’ fundamental rights and promoting ‘trustworthy’ AI in the world of work. It adds that current rules should address the gaps in the protection of workers’ rights at work and ensure that humans remain in control in all human-machine interactions. It also argues that One of the levers for minimising the risks and harmful impacts of AI systems is stronger involvement of workers and their representatives when these systems are implemented and rolled out in the workplace. It also emphasises the need to train workers to use AI to their benefit, while helping them develop the necessary skills which could make this new technology an asset for them.

The appended counter-opinion argues that, by embracing AI responsibly and following the human-in-command principle, Europe can enhance competitiveness, drive scientific innovation, boost the green transition and improve working conditions. It further stresses that the EU already has the tools and legal framework to properly embrace the AI revolution.

The full text of the opinion can be found here.

The AI in public services opinion was also featured during the high-level events. It argues that adopting digitalisation and AI could revolutionise the way public services are provided, by offering innovative solutions for dealing more efficiently and quickly with people’s needs. This new technology could help make public services more accessible – particularly to the most vulnerable people in society – while offering the possibility to automate complex and repetitive processes to help boost efficiency and reducing workload. However, it also stresses that care must be taken to avoid bias when deploying predictive and generative artificial intelligence algorithms, pushing for transparency in decision-making processes when developing such algorithms.

The full text of the opinion can be found here.