AFP, Geneva

The gains generated by artificial intelligence must benefit workers and do so in a fair manner, the United Nations’ labour agency said yesterday.

AI is transforming the world of work, changing how value is created and how decisions are made, at speed and at scale, said Gilbert Houngbo, the head of the UN’s International Labour Organization.

“Workers everywhere must be able to share the productivity gains generated by AI. Those gains must be distributed fairly through better wages, stronger labour protections, and more inclusive growth,” he told the annual International Labour Conference, which sets the ILO’s broad policies.

The most prominent figures in AI are stepping back from dire predictions about mass unemployment, as the industry faces growing public hostility over AI’s promised transformation of the workplace.

Most economic institutions say that AI has had only minor effects on employment so far. While AI technology is booming, ILO chief Houngbo said “future of work will not be determined by technology alone, but by the policies, institutions and social dialogue that guide it.”