Artificial Intelligence and Labour Law: A Global Overview

This volume provides a comprehensive legal analysis of the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the organization of work. As algorithmic management is proliferating across industries, market players have started utilizing automated decision-making tools throughout the entire employment lifecycle, from hiring to contract termination. The digitalization process has also paved the way to the creation of new professions as well as of unprecedented virtual spaces of work, which can potentially become a tool for the training and qualification of workers who are already employed (even in traditional jobs: e.g., drivers and janitors). Furthermore, as the widespread debate on the so-called Predictive Justice showcases, AI might be used in the adjudication of labour disputes by either Courts or Arbitrators. The book initially maps, from a theoretical point of view, the core issues emerging from the use of AI in the organization of work. The second part of the volume displays how the same issues are addressed by the policy makers and/or by the social partners in a selected pool of countries, both from the EU context and from the non-EU context. Especially – but not exclusively – for the non-EU Countries, the Authors investigate the role of other pieces of legislation, such as the rules in matter of privacy and/or the anti-discrimination policies, in the protection of workers from the risks associated with AI.

The core message of the book is that AI is a driver of both risks and opportunities for work; hence, a moderate and careful approach by the policy makers and by the social partners is due in order to strike a fair balance between the promotion of the technological progress and the protection of workers’ rights.