The International Labour Organization (ILO) released its report A Moment of Choice: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Decent Work (May 2026), prepared for the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference.
Human Level’s Take:
- The future of work is not being shaped by AI alone, but by the choices made around it. The ILO presents AI as a powerful force for productivity, innovation and economic growth, while emphasising that its impact on workers is far from predetermined.
- The real challenge may not be technological change itself, but how its benefits and risks are distributed. While AI creates new opportunities, the report points to the risk of widening inequalities and declining job quality if adoption outpaces investment in people.
- So what determines whether AI becomes a force for inclusion or a driver of further inequality? A human-centred approach, one that places workers at the heart of technological change through skills development, lifelong learning, social protection and social dialogue.
- This is where business decisions become particularly important. Employers play an essential role in ensuring that AI adoption respects fundamental principles and rights at work, supports job quality, and uses technology to augment rather than simply replace human capabilities.
- Looking ahead, the report points to a practical challenge: helping workers navigate transitions as jobs and tasks evolve. Key actions for business include investing in training and reskilling, strengthening income and social protection during periods of change, and ensuring workers have a voice in how AI is introduced and governed in the workplace.
Some key takeaways:
- Artificial intelligence as a driving force of change in the workplace: Artificial intelligence is reshaping the world of work. The ILO presents this change as a transformative force that is already reshaping labour markets, with implications for job quality, job quantity and inequality. Rather than predicting widespread job loss, it suggests that AI is more likely to change how work is performed, by automating certain tasks while creating new opportunities for productivity, innovation and job creation. At the same time, the benefits and risks are expected to be unevenly distributed by both gender and geography. For example, there are likely to be increased impacts of AI on female workers compared to male workers, especially in high-income countries. There are some concerns around the effects of AI on job quality, including increased worker surveillance, automated management systems, increased work intensity, and reduced autonomy in some occupations. It also points to the risk that AI could widen existing inequalities between different countries, sectors, firms and workers, particularly where access to technology, skills development and social protections remains uneven. Overall, the report argues that the impact of AI on the world of work is not predetermined. Outcomes will depend on the choices made by governments, employers, workers and other stakeholders in shaping how AI is developed, deployed and governed.
- Workers need to be at the centre of technological change: In response to the risks associated with AI, the report emphasises the importance of supporting human-centred transitions that place workers at the centre of technological change. It highlights the need for government investment in skills development, lifelong learning, social protection systems and active labour market policies to help workers adapt to changing job requirements and access new opportunities. Effective governance will also be critical to shaping AI outcomes. In particular, there is a key role for labour market institutions, regulation and social dialogue in ensuring that the benefits of AI are shared more broadly and that risks related to job quality, worker rights and inequality are addressed. Governments, employers, workers and their representative organisations are positioned as key actors in shaping how AI is introduced and managed in the workplace.
- Business action will shape the outcome of workplace transformation: Looking ahead, the report notes that realising the benefits of AI will depend on how effectively governments, employers and workers shape its adoption and use. For businesses, this means going beyond a narrow focus on productivity gains and embedding AI within a broader human-centred approach to workplace transformation. This entails investing in workforce skills, supporting continuous learning, ensuring transparency around the use of AI systems, and engaging workers in decisions about how technologies are introduced and managed. The ILO also places particular emphasis on the role of businesses in protecting job quality and supporting social protection systems during periods of labour market change. This includes helping workers transition into new roles, supporting access to training and reskilling opportunities, and ensuring that the adoption of AI does not erode access to social protections or increase labour market insecurity. Ultimately, organisations that combine technological innovation with investment in people, strong governance and worker participation will be better positioned to realise the opportunities of AI while managing its associated risks.
