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The International Labour Organization published ILO Working Paper 182 on October 23, 2026, examining how its established labour standards can inform ethical artificial intelligence applications in employment settings. Researchers Jordi Agustí-Panareda and Daniel Samaan conducted the analysis, which compares five core AI ethics principles with the foundational values of the ILO system. Those principles include justice, beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy and explicability, according to the paper. The study identifies strong alignment in justice, beneficence and non-maleficence while highlighting divergences on privacy, autonomy and collective worker representation.
The ILO working paper reported that areas of focus include worker data collection, algorithmic management systems, workplace surveillance and transparency around AI-driven employment decisions. When artificial intelligence tools screen job applicants or assess performance, explicability of the processes becomes critical to accountability and fairness under international labour standards. The document advances the argument that the ILO normative framework supplies a coherent reference point for ethical AI governance in labour contexts. It further notes that AI ethics discussions illuminate emerging workplace issues relevant to updating labour standards.
According to the ILO, the paper forms part of the Observatory on AI and Work in the Digital Economy, which tracks technology impacts across member states. A prior ILO working paper from May 2025 introduced a refined global index measuring occupational exposure to generative AI systems. That earlier study underscored varying levels of job transformation risk depending on sector and task composition. The current analysis builds on such research by linking ethical considerations directly to established labour rights instruments.
ILO figures show that algorithmic management practices have expanded rapidly, raising questions about data governance and worker protections that the new paper addresses. The researchers mapped AI ethics principles against the ILO Constitution, the Declaration of Philadelphia and the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. Their interpretive approach reveals opportunities for the standards system to incorporate explicability requirements in technologically evolving workplaces. This convergence could strengthen application of existing rights in AI-assisted hiring, promotion and performance evaluation.
The working paper stated that autonomy and non-maleficence principles align with ILO emphasis on worker dignity and prevention of harm, yet collective dimensions of representation require further attention. Social dialogue mechanisms, examined in separate ILO case studies across five continents, have begun shaping AI adoption strategies at enterprise and national levels. Those studies, released in July 2025, documented worker representatives influencing decisions on employment effects, algorithmic tools and working conditions. Such precedents illustrate practical pathways for integrating labour standards into responsible AI frameworks.
A review of 245 global AI ethics guidelines, published by the ILO in November 2025, found frequent references to workplace implications but limited explicit ties to international labour standards. The latest paper seeks to bridge that gap by positioning the ILO system as a legitimate foundation for context-specific AI governance. It calls for ongoing dialogue among governments, employers and workers to adapt standards to emerging technologies. The document remains available through the ILO publications portal for further review by policymakers and practitioners.
