ILO urges use of international labour standards to govern workplace AI

GENEVA — A new working paper released by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on Sunday, 25 October, suggests that international labour standards must serve as the primary legal foundation for governing artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. The study, titled \'AI Ethics and the ILO’s international labour standards system: exploring synergies\', argues that existing voluntary AI ethics guidelines lack the specific legal weight required to protect workers. Researchers Jordi Agustí-Panareda and Daniel Samaan compared five core AI ethics principles — justice, beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and explicability — against the ILO’s established normative framework. Closing the Governance Gap The research identifies a critical gap in current AI discussions: the absence of collective rights. While most AI ethics frameworks focus on individual privacy and transparency, the ILO found that they often ignore collective bargaining, freedom of association, and social dialogue. These collective dimensions are essential for determining how technologies are introduced to workforces, according to the paper. The report highlights urgent concerns regarding algorithmic management, workplace surveillance, and the use of personal data. The researchers noted that when AI systems screen job applicants or evaluate performance, workers currently lack clear mechanisms to challenge automated decisions under many voluntary ethical codes. Proposed Regulatory Alignment The paper was…