The Implementation of Artificial Intelligence Systems in the Spanish Labour Market: An Overview of the Current State of the Debate

Abstract

The increasingly widespread use of artificial intelligence systems -AI- in the labour market, both by companies and by public employment services and their collaborative entities, must not overlook the significant legal and organisational challenges that the adoption of these technologies entails. In this regard, the implementation of these systems holds considerable potential for diversifying workforce composition while simultaneously driving a profound transformation in the delivery of employment services to citizens, fostering their modernisation and improving the quality of assistance provided to individuals and businesses alike. Against this backdrop, the serious legal tensions arising from their adoption cannot be ignored. These tensions centre primarily on the potential violation of fundamental rights, the risk of algorithmic discrimination, a lack of transparency, and the democratic deficit that may affect decision-making processes that are, to a certain degree, automated. To eliminate these risks and ensure that the adoption of AI systems in the labour market genuinely produces positive outcomes, their implementation must be accompanied by a firm commitment to the development and deepening of the democratic rights and values upon which our society is founded. In other words, such a contribution will never come about spontaneously; it requires the design of a detailed strategy for programming, implementation and ongoing evaluation, oriented towards the achievement of measurable, people-centred objectives. Failing to maintain this fundamental orientation, the deployment of these systems in the labour market will serve only to widen social inequalities and increase the risk of fundamental rights violations.