Artificial intelligence: anticipating its impact on jobs to ensure a fair transition (own-initiative opinion)

Key points

The EESC flags up the potential of AI and would like to give its input to efforts to lay the groundwork for the social transformations which will go hand in hand with the rise of AI and robotics.

In its opinion, the EESC:

• supports the idea of a fully-fledged European transition fund which would help manage the digital transformation in a socially responsible way;
• recommends applying and reinforcing the principles, commitments and obligations set out in the existing texts on informing and consulting workers, particularly when deploying new technologies, including AI and robotics;
• recommends that the ethical guidelines on AI to be prepared by the Commission should draw a line in the sand for interaction between workers and intelligent machines, and factor in principles of transparency when using AI systems for recruitment, assessment and supervision of workers for management purposes;
• recommends that engineers and intelligent machine designers be trained in ethics;
• calls for the principle of legal responsibility to be clarified and advocates a more ambitious approach under the umbrella of the Product Liability Directive.

For more information please contact the INT Section Secretariat