Events

Digitalisation is generating important changes in the world of work that create opportunities to improve different areas such as occupational safety and health (OSH). However, it also implies new and emerging risks, and it is necessary to reflect on them in order to anticipate and prevent the negative effects of this digital transformation.

In this regard, in recent months, there has been much debate about the advantages and, specially, about the challenges that new forms of work organisation, such as A worker management system where simple (i.e. without ‘intelligence’) algorithms and digital technologies (e.g. worker-monitoring devices, computers or face recognition software) are used to manage workers in an automated or semi-automated manner. It provides the means to automate a large number of worker management tasks (e.g. schedule-making, shift- making and worker monitoring through wearable devices). AI-based worker management involves the intelligence simulation necessary to deal with uncertainty (e.g. providing different outputs based on changes in the environment), whereas algorithmic management is deterministic in nature (i.e. it always provides the same output, given the same input). or the widespread use of (AI) AI refers to systems that display intelligent behaviour by analysing their environment and taking actions – with some degree of autonomy – to achieve specific goals. AI-based systems can be purely software-based, acting in the virtual world (e.g. voice assistants, image analysis software, search engines, speech and face recognition systems) or AI can be embedded in hardware devices (e.g. advanced robots, autonomous cars, drones or Internet of things applications). ( AI refers to systems that display intelligent behaviour by analysing their environment and taking actions – with some degree of autonomy – to achieve specific goals. AI-based systems can be purely software-based, acting in the virtual world (e.g. voice assistants, image analysis software, search engines, speech and face recognition systems) or AI can be embedded in hardware devices (e.g. advanced robots, autonomous cars, drones or Internet of things applications). ) can bring. To what extent are they impacting on our reality and in the Spanish context? What is the evidence about the risks they generate for workers' safety and health? How can the undesired impacts they might have on OSH be reduced?

The conference to be held on 26 October in Bilbao - as part of the European Week for Safety and Health at Work - aims to discuss all these issues. To this end, the results of various studies on work on digital platforms, a pioneering field in which algorithmic management and Artificial Intelligence have been used, will be presented. In addition, some pioneering global initiatives for its regulation will be described and there will be a debate on how to achieve a digital transition that protects the safety and health of workers and also takes advantage of the opportunities that digitalisation brings to companies.