Artificial intelligence and the future of work a sustainable development perspective

In recent years, the future of the labour market in the context of evident advances in artificial intelligence (AI) has been much debated, ranging from a number of considerations about the implications for job losses in certain sectors to elements of possible deepening economic inequality. The main objective of the present paper is to investigate the interdependencies between AI adoption and the labour market from the perspective of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. Despite a growing body of literature on AI and the future of work, the link to sustainable development on the labour market is still unclear. The present study explores this issue in EU countries, suggesting an index of AI adoption and analysing correlations with SDG8 indicators. This paper examines how emerging AI technologies might support SDG 8, fostering both sustainable growth and decent work for all EU citizens. Our research emphasises that the adoption of AI leads to a mix of effects, with the potential to contribute to economic growth, productivity, work-life balance, and poverty reduction, but at the same time, brings with it challenges related to inequality.