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A Call for Collective Action on AI and Equitable Work in a Fragmented World
Artificial intelligence is not a "disruptor" anymore. Today, AI has transformed how work is organized, performed, and valued. Due to this arguably total shift in global work environment, at the International Labour Organization (ILO)'s session on AI and the World of Work: Actions Towards a Global Dialogue, speakers emphasized a critical shift in framing: the question is not whether AI will transform work, but whether that transformation will advance decent work and social justice. As highlighted by the ILO, AI is simultaneously driving productivity gains and new job creation, while also raising concerns around displacement, skill mismatches, and evolving working conditions.
FROM TRANSFORMATION TO TENSION: JOB EQUITY FOCUS
A central tension emerged throughout the discussion: AI’s dual role as both an engine of opportunity and a source of disruption. On one hand, AI enables more efficient job matching, enhances enterprise productivity, and opens pathways to new forms of employment. On the other, it risks widening divides across regions, sectors, and worker groups if left unmanaged. Speakers pointed to the rapid shift in skill requirements, with digital and AI competencies becoming foundational rather than optional. At the same time, concerns around job restructuring, informality, and inequality underscore that without intervention, the benefits of AI may accrue unevenly across the labor market.
ON A HUMAN-CENTERED AI ECONOMY
The path forward, panelists argued, lies in embedding human-centered principles into AI deployment. This includes scaling reskilling and lifelong learning systems, strengthening social protection frameworks, and ensuring responsible AI governance. International efforts, particularly through collaboration among great powers (G7), have begun to translate principles into action, focusing on five key pillars: skills anticipation, productivity and fairness, data protection, occupational safety, and transparent governance. Crucially, the emphasis has shifted from high-level commitments to practical tools, such as shared observatories on AI’s labor impacts and platforms to disseminate best practices across countries and industries.
This session reinforced that managing AI’s impact on work is as much an institutional challenge as a technical one. Governments, employers, and workers must engage in continuous social dialogue to align innovation with inclusion. Initiatives such as voluntary pledges for trustworthy AI and global knowledge-sharing platforms signal progress, but the real test lies in implementation at scale. Today, the defining challenge regarding AI will be ensuring that productivity gains translate into shared prosperity so that the future of work is not only more efficient but also more equitable.
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