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The Swedish government commissions the University of Valencia to research the effects of artificial intelligence at work

  • Scientific Culture and Innovation Unit
  • September 23rd, 2024
From left to right: representatives of the Swedish agency, Rosa Donat and Adrián Todolí.
From left to right: representatives of the Swedish agency, Rosa Donat and Adrián Todolí.

The Swedish Agency for Work Environment Expertise, an entity under the country's government, has commissioned researcher Adrián Todolí, professor of Labour Law at the University of Valencia (UV) and expert in labour productivity, to conduct a study on how artificial intelligence (AI) will impact the work environment in Europe. The agreement between the two institutions was signed this morning at the Valencian institution.

"This study will analyse the ethical and legal challenges of implementing AI to make automated and semi-automated decisions affecting workers and their interaction with the work environment", explains professor Adrián Todolí.

The signing of the agreement was attended by Rosa Donat, vice-rector for Innovation and Transfer at the UV, and on behalf of the Swedish agency, by its general director, Nader Ahmadi, the Research director, Robert Ljung, and the Communications director, Axel Wiman. This is the first time that the Swedish agency has funded research activities with universities outside Sweden. The research will last two years.

The study will initially synthesise available knowledge on the challenges to workers' fundamental rights, as well as the ethical issues in introducing AI into the workplace. Secondly, it will highlight the emergence of unregulated areas that may require new public policies or the intervention of social partners in the workplace. Finally, it will identify the policies needed to regulate these areas.

Additionally, the Swedish agency has selected the University of Valencia to conduct a second study focused on digital work platforms, specifically on how to prevent health problems for workers on digital platforms.

This second project will review existing literature on occupational hazards in platform work and their connection to workers' health. It will synthesise the knowledge on specific occupational risks in platform work, gather information on the relationship between these risks and platform workers' health, and identify gaps in research. The project will highlight the main measures to reduce risk factors.

Professor Todolí has a long career in the study of artificial intelligence and has previously collaborated with international organisations such as the European Commission and the ILO in drafting or implementing labour market regulations. The Swedish agency has emphasised that this collaboration presents a great opportunity to generate knowledge that will benefit both Swedish businesses and workers, as well as those across Europe. For the University of Valencia, this recognition reinforces the global relevance of research conducted by its staff.