The International Labour Organization (ILO) has launched a new Observatory on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Work in the Digital Economy in furtherance of its sustained efforts to enhance workplace operations and outputs globally.
The online resource was created in recognition of the importance of the effects of AI on the world of work and aims to be the world’s leading international knowledge hub on the world-of-work aspects of AI and the digital economy.
A news release by the global labour organization indicated that the Observatory would bring together evidence, analysis and expertise related to AI and the digital economy.
According to the ILO, the Observatory has four key areas of focus, namely artificial intelligence, including analyses of its ramifications on employment and productivity; and algorithmic management, which refers to the use of algorithms and tracked data to manage and supervise work.
Others are digital labour platforms, which have grown exponentially as a new form of work over the past decade and which will be the subject of a standard-setting discussion at the 2025 and 2026 International Labour Conference, and workers’ personal data, as a means to provide guidance for how employers should handle the collection of workers’ personal data.
Speaking at the launch, ILO Director-General, Gilbert Houngbo, said: “We recognize that workplaces across the world are being transformed by AI. The ILO aims to support governments and workers’ and employers’ organizations in managing this transition, so that AI becomes a positive force.”
The Observatory was launched on 25 September at a high-level online event.
In addition to the ILO Director-General, the event featured , UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, Amandeep Singh; Minister of Labour and Social Policies, Italy, Gill Marina Elvira Calderone; Secretary-General of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), Roberto Súarez Santos; Deputy President of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Cathy Feingold, and Director, ILO Research Department, Richard Samans.
