Social Partner Responses to AI in Denmark and Sweden
In a new article in ILR Review, Anna Ilsøe, Trine P. Larsen et al., shows how the social partners have responded to the increasing digitisation and the introduction of AI tools in Denmark and Sweden, respectively. The analysis shows that unions and employers in both countries are sceptical about legislation and prefer negotiated solutions through tripartite agreements and collective agreements, which is tradition in both countries.
The use of AI tools in the labour market has long been a source of debate in both Denmark and Sweden. The debate has focused on data ethical issues, including data security, ownership and potential bias. The proliferation of different forms of platform work has also triggered topical discussions about algorithm management. And most recently the introduction of ChatGPT, especially in the education sector, has given rise to debate.
The unions and employers have played an active part in the debate in both Denmark and Sweden. Trade unions are particularly concerned about potential job losses, while employer organisations have highlighted the need for reskilling and further training of employees so that digital solutions and AI tools can be exploited.
Rather negotiated than legal solutions to AI
The review of responses to increased digitisation and AI-based solutions in the Danish and Swedish labour markets shows that the parties are generally sceptical about legal solutions and measures, and rather find solutions themselves through collective agreement or tripartite negotiations, as is traditional in the Nordic countries.
Sweden has a longer history of tripartite commissions compared to Denmark in relation to digitisation, where Danish social partners to a greater extent has negotiated solutions via the collective agreement system. This difference reflects the fact that labour law has traditionally played a greater role in Sweden than in Denmark. The different approaches to digitisation and introduction of AI tools thus reflect different historical traditions on labour market regulation in the two countries.
The EU also plays a key role in this area, and the processes surrounding various EU actions have influenced the debate in both countries. In particular, the EU Directive on Platform Work and the AI Act have given rise to critical discussions in both countries due to the legislative character these measures have. Sweden, in particular, has been critical of the directive on platform work. The critical debate on these EU measures could have a major impact on the implementation of the new legislation in both countries, since they have to be implemented through the collective agreements, where critical discussions will continue to play a role in the process.
Read the full article 'Negotiating about algorithms: Social partner responses to AI in Denmark and Sweden' by Anna Ilsøe, Trine P. Larsen, Christopher Mathieu and Bertil Rolandsson. Published in ILR Review, October 2024.