The landscape of work is undergoing an extensive transformation, driven by the march of digitalization and the rapid emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI). These developments are reshaping industries, redefining job roles, and fundamentally altering the very nature of work and workers' rights.
Over 60 trade representatives of workers’ organisations from Europe and beyond participated in a two-day seminar titled "Digitalization and artificial intelligence: What are the consequences for the value of work and workers’ rights?". The seminar took place in Porto, Portugal, from 6-8 October 2025, and was organized by the World Organization of Workers (WOW-Europe), in cooperation with the European Centre for Workers’ Questions (EZA) and funded by the European Union.
The seminar provided a unique opportunity to gain clarity on the true impact of AI, hear inspiring examples of successful navigation strategies, and identify concrete actions to safeguard the value of human work and workers' fundamental rights in this evolving environment.
Key Takeaways from the Experts and politicians
The seminar featured a diverse group of speakers who addressed the opportunities, threats, and necessary governance frameworks for the age of AI.
The seminar was opened with an important video address by Niels Flemming Hansen (EPP), a Danish Member of the European Parliament, who underscored the importance of ensuring that European legislation – particularly the EU's AI Act – addresses the real consequences for workers and protects fundamental rights.
Evelyn Oberleitner, CEO & Co-Founder at ProcessONE (Austria), introduced the concept of Automation as a Game Changer, detailing what AI is and the different levels of automation, ranging from automated email processing to invoice management. She focused on the practical application of AI, emphasizing that this technology is already a reality for "every company".
Dr. Wouter Vandenabeele, Associate Professor at Utrecht University (Netherlands), spoke on "Who Shapes the Future of Work in the Age of AI? Balancing Empowerment, Sustainability, and Democracy." He highlighted how Generative AI is creating unprecedented digital capabilities but also poses threats to employment and the labour market ecosystem. His focus was on the need for developing and fostering institutions as guard-rails to address the threats AI poses to democracy and sustainability in the labour market.
Dr. Gerhard Bremm, Head of Department for Company Interests Representation at the Chamber of Labour (Austria), looked at "The two Sides of the AI coin - Opportunities and threats for workers and (inter)national labour law." He referenced Amara's Law, stating that "We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run”. He argued that the fundamental question is whether AI is "just" a tool or an infrastructure, an industry, an idea, and a form of power exertion.
Arturo Quiñoa, Vice-President WOW and General Secretary FELATRABS (Argentina), provided "A Latin-American perspective" on AI's impact. He defined AI as a system's capacity to interpret external data, learn from it, and use lessons to achieve specific goals. He raised concerns about Generative AI models like ChatGPT, noting problems with reliability and the phenomenon of "hallucinations," which make it difficult for users to distinguish incorrect or misleading information.
Pedro Leão Aguiar, CEO of iS – Intelligent Solutions Lda (Portugal), offered a sectoral view on "Navigating the Digital Turn: AI's Impact and Human-Centric Strategies in the Automotive Retail Sector." He detailed the current status of the sector from both the customer's and the dealer's perspective. He concluded that the goal of AI implementation is to use it as a catalyst for holistic business transformation, and the future belongs to those who can blend the power of AI with the irreplaceable human elements of trust, expertise, and personal relationships.
Janine Berg, Senior Economist at the International Labour Organization (ILO) (Switzerland), discussed "Generative AI and Jobs: Implications on job quantity and job quality." She countered the "AI apocalypse" narrative by emphasising that exposure does not equal impact. Her data suggests that six times as many jobs have the potential to be "transformed" rather than eliminated. This transformation requires governance to ensure a positive outcome, including "Workers in the loop," collective negotiation, and "redlines" to protect fundamental rights.
Shaping the Future: Conclusions and Recommendations
The seminar concluded with working groups and an international roundtable debate, which yielded a clear strategy and a set of recommendations for policymakers and social partners.
The overall consensus was that AI will happen and in many areas will surpass human capabilities. However, the dream of the World Organization of Workers (WOW) is to enrich jobs rather than replace them. The path forward must be based on a strengthened dialogue between employers and employees.
WOW strongly endorses the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act for its efforts to ensure AI systems are safe and uphold fundamental rights, recognizing its balanced, risk-based approach. Building on this strong legal foundation, WOW advocates for legislative and collective measures to secure human dignity and control, guided by three core principles:
Value alignment: AI goals must always align with human values.
Human dignity: AI must respect ideals of human dignity, rights, and diversity.
Human control: Humans must choose which decisions they will delegate to AI.
Six Strong Recommendations
To ensure that AI enriches jobs, the following concrete recommendations were issued to EU legislators, MEP´s and national policymakers:
Right and duty to lifelong AI learning: The EU should establish a dedicated, mandatory, and fully funded AI upskilling fund for all employees, ensuring workers can use AI sensibly and critically evaluate its output.
Strengthen critical thinking as the defence of democracy: Digital source criticism, ethical AI understanding, and media literacy must become a permanent, compulsory element in all educational levels to serve as the best defence against misinformation and manipulation.
Collective security and investment in labour market policy: Develop an EU framework that strengthens the right of trade union representatives to have genuine influence in decision-making bodies regarding AI. Simultaneously, increase EU funds for lifelong learning and establish robust social security for temporarily displaced workers.
Statutory right to information and consultation on algorithmic management: Introduce legislation mandating employers to inform and consult with employee representatives upon the implementation of any AI system used to monitor, evaluate, or manage employee performance.
Collective agreements as the engine for a learning culture: Politically and economically incentivize collective agreements to incorporate provisions for employer-paid, continuous digital upskilling programs, recognizing curiosity and self-study as actual working time.
AI well-being and psychosocial work environment responsibility: Update EU directives on occupational safety and health to specifically address the psychosocial risks posed by AI, such as increased work intensity and algorithmic performance pressure. Employers must be mandated to conduct specific risk assessments in close cooperation with work environment representatives.